


Becoming SOLDIER

by GuiltyPleasureFiction



Category: Compilation of Final Fantasy VII, Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VII Remake (Video Game 2020)
Genre: AU Cloud made it into SOLDIER, Alpha Angeal Hewley, Alpha Genesis Rhapsodos, Alpha Sephiroth (Compilation of FFVII), Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, M/M, No mpreg, Omega Zack Fair, Porn with Light Plot
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-04
Updated: 2021-02-27
Packaged: 2021-03-07 16:01:44
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 36,685
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26820325
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GuiltyPleasureFiction/pseuds/GuiltyPleasureFiction
Summary: Cloud, a trooper, has finally been accepted as a candidate into the SOLDIER program and is nervous to find out how the transition process will affect his relationship with his Omega boyfriend, Second Class Zack Fair.
Relationships: Angeal Hewley/Genesis Rhapsodos/Sephiroth, Zack Fair/Angeal Hewley, Zack Fair/Cloud Strife
Comments: 41
Kudos: 69





	1. Chapter 1

“Uh, Planet to Cloud?”

A hand waving in his face broke Cloud out of his reverie. “Sorry, Zack,” he mumbled half-heartedly. A glance at the television screen revealed his character uselessly running into a wall. So much for games being the perfect distraction.

“Hey, it’s okay,” Zack shrugged, flipping off the console. “But maybe now you want to tell me what’s eating at you?”

Apparently, he hadn’t been hiding his nerves quite as well as he’d thought. The truth was, he’d dreamt about being accepted into the ranks of SOLDIER for so long that he didn’t want to seem anything but eager about the process, for fear that those dreams would be ripped away by the universe in retribution for his reluctance. To admit his hesitation to his boyfriend, a member of Second Class, seemed even worse. Zack had already been through all this, so why should Cloud be anxious? Still. “I guess I’m just a little nervous about tomorrow,” Cloud finally admitted.

“What’s got you so worked up about it?” Zack asked, tousling the blond spikes teasingly. “I mean, aside from all the poking and prodding. I guess that’s enough to make anybody uneasy.”

Cloud shrugged and leaned into the affectionate, if slightly annoying, touch. He was due to report to medical tomorrow for physical exam and testing in preparation for the mako treatment that would mark his initiation into SOLDIER. Everything he had received as a trooper had been comparatively mild – quarterly low-dose injections designed to make the cadets just a little bit faster, just a little bit stronger, and more importantly, just tolerant enough to mako to allow them to survive the conversion process. 

Patiently, Zack waited, familiar with Cloud’s need to collect his thoughts before speaking. He exchanged his playful gestures for a comforting arm slung about the smaller man’s shoulders. It wasn’t the first time he’d noticed his partner becoming edgy before an appointment with medical, but it’d never been quite this bad before. “Babe?” he nudged gently, just a reminder that he was still listening.

Cloud sighed and snuggled closer. While it was undeniable that the poking and prodding Zack had mentioned definitely triggered some anxiety, maybe more than he wanted to admit, Zack was right about another factor being even more worrisome. For reasons only theorized about, the SOLDIER transition process seemed to alter a candidate’s biology in a myriad of ways. It was during this exam that candidates learned exactly which effects the mako exposure was having on them, and Cloud knew those effects could be life-altering. After several long moments, he found the courage to ask the question that had been gnawing at his mind. “What if I turn out to be an omega?”

Zack almost laughed at the absurdity of the question, but stifled himself at Cloud’s serious tone. Instead, he settled for a reassuring smile. “Then we’re both omegas. Together. We can talk about different arrangements with alphas we want to explore, or we can try going without one once you adjust to everything. We’ll still be us, Cloud.” He planted a kiss into the golden mess of hair beside him.

Cloud considered the answer. “And if I’m an alpha? Or a beta, even?” He supposed being a beta would leave things pretty much as they were now, except that the Turks might try to recruit him. But an alpha? That would certainly disrupt their situation given Zack’s current arrangement, the same arrangement Zack had been in since they’d met.

The raven-haired SOLDIER ran his hand through his own tangled mane. “Well, if that’s the case, I’ll talk to Angeal about not marking me next heat. It’ll be an adjustment, but he’s got his own relationship with Gen and Seph. He’ll understand.”

A confused expression crossed over Cloud’s features. “But he’s already marked you, Zack. It’s not like you’ve been hiding it or anything.” It had weirded Cloud out at first, really, but Zack and Angeal had always kept clear boundaries and been open about their status. The mark conveniently discouraged other alphas from trying to pursue Zack, so it had its perks. Eventually, it was something Cloud had just accepted, but tomorrow could change everything.

This time, Zack couldn’t suppress the bubble of laughter that snaked through his chest. “Cloud, it’s not permanent, like we’re mated or married or whatever! It fades every new heat cycle, but I guess you’ve never seen me without one to know. So, what I’m saying is, if you’re a fully developed alpha by the time this one fades, you could mark me instead. I’d be okay with that. Only if you wanted to, of course.”

Cloud blushed, embarrassed by his own lack of knowledge. He’d never seen Zack in heat, only had a general idea of what happened and was too shy to pry. Regardless, it was kind of cute to hear Zack babbling a little, saying things like “if you wanted to” like Cloud hadn’t been itching to be able to offer Zack that kind of bond for months. To be able to fulfill all of Zack’s needs. But there was no guarantee that tomorrow’s results would bring that kind of ability. 

Zack squeezed his boyfriend into a tight embrace like maybe he could just smother the worries away. “And I’ll make sure I’m the tech in your room tomorrow, so you won’t be alone, okay?”

“Thanks Zack,” Cloud mumbled. Most omegas had assignments in medical when they weren’t away on missions because they had an innate ability to curb alpha aggression caused by unwelcome touch, so it wasn’t surprising that there’d be one assigned to the room tomorrow. However, knowing that it would be Zack instead of a random stranger provided some sense of relief, especially since Hojo and Hollander liked to be personally involved in the visit preceding mako enhancement. A shudder ran through Cloud’s body at the very thought of being in a room with either of them.

“You’re gonna sleep here tonight, right?” Zack suggested, rubbing calming circles into his boyfriend’s shoulder. “It’s getting kinda late to be in the halls off-duty.” Cloud slept there most nights anyway, a SOLDIER Second Class apartment being infinitely more comfortable than the cramped spaces and communal bathrooms troopers shared. 

“Yeah, as long as you don’t mind.” Not that Zack had ever minded before, but he really hoped tonight wouldn’t be the exception. The idea of being alone with his thoughts was unnerving at best.

The tanned SOLDIER rolled his eyes. “Cloud, of course I don’t mind. I never mind.” He squeezed tightly, tucking Cloud’s head underneath his chin. “Let’s get ready for bed though, alright? I’ve got a long shift tomorrow, and you should try to get some sleep.”

Cloud tried to lose himself in the familiarity of their nightly routine. Zack always brushed his teeth first, wearing nothing but boxers as he slipped between the sheets. Meanwhile, Cloud always changed into sweats and a loose-fitting tee while waiting for his turn at the sink. Zack turned the lights off once Cloud had settled into bed, then curled against Cloud’s back, always happy to be the big spoon. It was predictable and concrete, the kind of ordinary that Cloud clung to tonight.

Tonight, however, routine didn’t clear Cloud’s mind enough for sleep. Nor did the regular rise and fall of Zack’s chest against his back, the occasional light snore that punctuated the otherwise silent night.

An untold amount of time later, he felt his boyfriend rouse behind him.

“You’re still awake, aren’t you.” Zack wasn’t even asking a question at this point, more stating the obvious.

“I’ve slept a little,” Cloud fibbed, not wanting to bother Zack with the same issue they’d already discussed.

The dim light of a bedside lamp flicked on. “Liar. Cloud, your eyes are practically burning holes in the wall.”

Cloud sighed and flopped onto his back, apparently as unable to deny his wakefulness as he was his anxiety. Was he wishing tomorrow would just be over? Was he hoping it wouldn’t come? Why did becoming SOLDIER have to be so much more complicated that it seemed?

“You know,” Zack said, bracing himself over Cloud so he could look his younger lover directly in his eyes. “If you want me to help you get over your fears, I can play doctor for you,” he teased, waggling his eyebrows suggestively.

“ZACK!” Cloud’s cheeks reddened as he gave his boyfriend a good-natured shove. Leave it to Zack, the incorrigible ball of energy, to catch him completely off guard with a comment like that. 

In retaliation for the shove, Zack attacked Cloud’s ribs with pinches and tickles until cackles of laughter echoed through the room. He only stopped when the blond was panting for breath beneath him, unable to speak because of the relentless assault.

Cloud looked up into eyes of unique SOLDIER blue, eyes that almost glowed from the mako swirling in their depths, eyes that looked upon him with love and adoration. Zack’s soft lips quirked into a smile before meeting Cloud’s own in a light kiss that spoke of caring and comfort. A hand, strong but gentle, cupped his jaw, keeping him steady in the choppy waves of emotion that surged through him.

“Well, if you aren’t going to sleep anyway, at least let me take your mind off of things for a little while,” Zack whispered against Cloud’s mouth, leaving no doubts about exactly what kind of distraction he intended to provide.

Warmth rolled off the sun-kissed body above him, and Cloud found himself clinging to the chiseled form, like he would fall into an abyss if he were to let go. He gave in to Zack’s attempts to deepen the kiss, parting his lips and letting his breath be stolen from his lungs. The familiar dance of tongues had its intended effect, and he felt some of the stressful anticipation he’d harbored melt away to be replaced by an entirely different kind of tension.

Inquisitive fingers left Cloud’s face to sneak beneath the hem of his shirt, tracing shapeless patterns into the pale skin. A quiet gasp broke the lock of their lips as Zack grazed one sensitive nipple with his fingernail. It was a reminder that Cloud’s shirt was becoming an inconvenience, one which they quickly worked to remedy. 

With one pesky article of clothing gone, Zack took full advantage of the opportunity to pepper feathery kisses down his lover’s neck and nip along his collarbone, never quite hard enough to leave a mark, but more than enough to make Cloud squirm beneath him. The sensation of Cloud’s hips canting up against him made him groan in appreciation, and he nuzzled into the space where delicate throat met lean shoulder. He inhaled deeply, wondering what he would smell in this same spot once his sweet trooper transitioned into SOLDIER.

Cloud’s eyes slipped closed as black spikes tickled his cheek. Wandering, teasing fingertips traced the developing muscles of his torso, coming to rest in a firm hold on his hip. Zack’s barely concealed arousal ground against him, and he couldn’t resist the urge to arch in response.

Passions incited, the two scrambled to remove any scrap of fabric that remained between them. Bare skin rubbed against bare skin, legs intertwined, and hands grabbed blindly for anything they could get ahold of that would bring their heated bodies closer together. The harsh tang of desperation flavored their kisses, the sour spike of fear that perhaps things wouldn’t be like this for much longer.

“Zack, I…” Cloud breathed, letting his words morph into an unintelligible moan when Zack reached toward the nightstand. He wasn’t even sure of what he’d meant to say, only felt the emotion behind it. Zack, I love you? Zack, I’m scared? Zack, I don’t want us to change?

Zack took a moment to acknowledge the unspoken words, staring into Cloud’s eyes with implicit understanding. “It’s okay, Cloud. I’ve got you,” he whispered.

It was such a simple statement, but it was perfect in its simplicity, the way it promised safety and belonging without judgement. The ghost of a smile flashed across Cloud’s lips, and he nodded in trusting acceptance. Maybe, just maybe, everything would turn out alright.

With that thought in mind, Cloud took the bottle of lube that Zack had grabbed, pouring a little into his palm to let it warm while they rutted against one another. Briefly, he wondered if he could lose himself to nothing more than the friction of his lover’s skin against his cock and the occasional glide of Zack’s length against his own. Labored breathing, hot and heavy against his ear, suggested he wasn’t the only one pondering the possibility. That was a theory for another day, however.

Cloud both felt and heard the hitch in Zack’s breathing when he finally wrapped his wetted hand around the Second’s leaking hardness. A few fervent strokes wrung pearlescent beads from its tip, much like they wrung quiet moans from Zack’s throat. As much as Cloud liked being the recipient of physical pleasure, sometimes he thought he enjoyed watching his boyfriend’s response even more. The way those dark eyelashes fluttered closed, and little lines creased the tanned skin of his forehead. The parting of his lips when they couldn’t contain the soft but sexy noises any longer. The way his normally fluid movements became jerky and uneven. Cloud only grew harder, knowing that he could make Zack look and feel this way.

“Not yet, Cloud. Not without you,” Zack exhaled with a shaky breath, stilling Cloud’s movements.

Cloud felt his ears go pink. He hadn’t meant to get caught staring, hadn’t planned on Zack suddenly opening his eyes to meet his lustful gaze. It made him shift shyly, embarrassed by the depth of his admiration.

After taking a short time to cool off, Zack braced himself on an elbow to join his hand with Cloud’s. He maneuvered their cocks together, encircling them both in a single, firm grip, and slowly rolled his hips.

Embarrassment forgotten, Cloud dropped his head back, groaning loudly at the sensations shooting through his body. The contrast of rough calluses and smooth stiffness rubbing against all his sensitive places made him thrust reflexively, like he no longer had full control over his own body. It was overwhelming, and overwhelming was what he needed because it drowned out everything else.

Sweat broke out over pale and bronzed skin alike. The sounds of ragged breathing filled the air, the passion behind it almost palpable. Foreheads met, and Zack’s body was the first to freeze as climax overtook him in hot, crashing waves.

That, more than anything else, was what pulled Cloud over the edge with a cry of ecstasy. Meeting in bliss, they soared together for a few intense moments, painting their torsos in the evidence of their pleasure. As racing pulses slowed, tension bled from taught muscles, and the two sagged into the mattress, exhausted in the best way.

“Feeling better, yet?” Zack teased gently once he had regained his senses, grabbing some tissues to clean them both off.

“I guess you could say that,” Cloud replied, offering a warm smile that he hoped would appear devoid of worry. He cuddled up against Zack’s side, resting his head on the SOLDIER’s chest where he could hear the steady beat of his heart. “Thank you, Zack.”

Zack kissed Cloud’s head and flipped the lights off. “Anytime, Cloud. You know I love you, and I still will no matter what happens tomorrow,” he promised.

“Love you too,” Cloud murmured as he succumbed to the feeling of fingers petting rhythmically through his hair. Finally, he slept.

For a little while, at least.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cloud reports for the SOLDIER entry physical and learns which classification he's fated to present as.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As a fair warning, Hojo does appear in this chapter and is (as usual) a bit on the creepy side. If that squicks anybody out, I'll just pop the result of the exam into a note at the end in case anybody wants to skip the creeper vibe.

Cloud’s heart was pounding while he sat in the waiting area. Yeah, he wanted to be in SOLDIER, but he’d _really_ rather skip this part of the process. The realization struck that he wasn’t even sure what exactly would happen today, only some rumor-based guesses that he wasn’t remotely excited about. Why hadn’t he asked about that last night or in the weeks leading up to this? There had been plenty of opportunities. If he had asked, he was sure Zack would have told him. And what would happen with Zack after this? Despite his boyfriend’s assurances that nothing would change, how could anybody be sure? As the minutes ticked by, his thoughts continued to race, like neuronal chocobos sprinting for the synaptic finish line.

“Cloud? Hey, come on. You’re up. I’ve gotta take you back to a room.”

Cloud had been so lost in his head that he hadn’t noticed Zack come out to retrieve him, hadn’t even heard his name being called. It took a tap on the shoulder to break him out of his reverie. “Huh?” he responded dumbly. “Right, sorry.”

Usually, he didn’t hesitate to follow Zack anywhere, but today was an exception. Today, his movements were forced, and he trailed slowly behind, as though he were slogging through deep water. Everything seemed surreal, from the sounds of his footsteps echoing along the bare hallway to the stringent smell of antiseptic solution. He almost stumbled when Zack stopped to direct him onto a scale.

“Cloud, hold on,” the Second interrupted, putting a hand on the smaller man’s shoulder before he could step back down. “Are you okay? Like, really okay?”

Mako-touched eyes pinned Cloud, laced with a threat to call him out if he so much as tried to bend the truth. He opened his mouth to say yes, to pretend that he was perfectly fine, and found he lacked the energy to do it. Instead he shrugged and opted for honesty.

“I’m alright, Zack. I’m just really nervous,” he admitted. It sounded so stupid in his mind. _Yes, I want to be a member of Shinra’s elite military and take on the toughest opponents, but I’m about to have a panic attack over the entry physical?_ Ridiculous.

Zack just squeezed his shoulder and gave him an understanding smile. “Most of the candidates are, babe. That’s why I’m here, and I’ll be here the whole time. You sure you want to go through with this? You could walk away from SOLDIER right now, and nobody, _including me_ , would judge you for it.”

This was it. This was his chance, possibly his last one, to walk away, to leave Shinra and its mad scientists behind. The only thing he had to do was simultaneously walk away from his dreams, from everything he had left Nibelheim for. Like that was really an option.

“Yeah, I’m sure,” Cloud asserted with more confidence than he felt. No matter how uneasy he was, no way would he risk letting Zack or himself down. Not when he had fought and studied and worked so hard to get here.

“Alright then,” Zack said, unable to resist the urge to ruffle blond spikes even though he knew how much it irritated his boyfriend. “This way.”

This time, Cloud kept stride with his partner, determined to make up for his earlier reticence. It seemed, as he was led farther down the corridor, that there was a separate wing dedicated to SOLDIER. Not that he was all that surprised. Shinra had a separate _everything_ for SOLDIERs, clearly proud of the company’s investments. After a few turns, Zack gestured to a door.

“Bathroom,” he explained. “Cup’s on the counter. Just fill it to the line, and put it in the basket. When you’re done, meet me in room four, alright?” He pointed at a room close by with a small red flag just above it.

Cloud nodded and stepped through the door. He was met with an image of himself in the mirror, and it startled him. His skin looked flushed from lack of sleep, with dark circles under his eyes to match. His trooper uniform was somewhat rumpled, like he had dressed carelessly. Perhaps he had. The morning was blurred, the memory unclear. He splashed some cold water on his face, did what he had been instructed to do, and straightened his attire. “If you’re going to be a SOLDIER, you better start acting like one,” he scolded his reflection disgustedly before making his way to the exam room.

Zack, who somehow made shapeless scrubs look good, was busy setting up a tray of equipment when Cloud stepped into the room. The navy-blue fabric he wore was the only pop of color accentuating the otherwise sterile white and stainless-steel interior. Shinra had obviously not wasted any gil to make the place feel remotely inviting.

“Sorry, Cloud. Just getting a couple things ready,” the Second explained, bouncing with the same insuppressible energy he always seemed to have. “I’m going to step out for a minute while you change. There’s a gown on the table. Opening goes in the front. You can cover up with the blanket, too. It’ll be kinda cold without your uniform and everything.”

“And everything?” Cloud asked. Maybe he could retain a _little_ modesty?

“Yup, everything,” Zack confirmed, quashing that sliver of hope and shutting the door behind him.

Kinda cold was an understatement, as it turned out. Goosebumps prickled Cloud’s flesh as he stripped out of his clothing and replaced it with the cheap papery gown. If the material had been any thinner, he may as well have been naked. Like any good cadet, he folded his uniform neatly, like somebody might come through to inspect his work. The task didn’t occupy him for as long as he’d have liked, so he sat on the exam table to wait, fidgeting nervously with the edge of the blanket until the door cracked open.

“All set?” Zack asked. He even waited for a reply, like he hadn’t seen the younger man naked many times before. Just being professional when on-duty, Cloud supposed.

Even the few minutes spent alone had been too many, had given Cloud too much time with his own mind. He hadn’t been able to avoid eyeing the metal tray he’d seen Zack setting up. There were a few pairs of gloves laid out, a small pool of clear gel, a few curved metal rods of varying size, and a couple packets marked with the hazardous mako warning label. He wasn’t sure what any of it was for, but none of it did anything to settle his nerves.

He tried to turn his attention elsewhere, to focus on the gentleness of Zack’s touch as the Second measured his vital signs. The way the smooth warmth of his hands contrasted starkly with the cold squeezing of the blood pressure cuff. He tried to control his breathing, to pretend his heart wasn’t pounding against his ribs. Apparently, he was fooling nobody.

“Babe, I’ve gotta draw some blood, and I think it’s best you lay down,” Zack advised after entering Cloud’s heart rate into his tablet. “You kinda seem like you might pass out.”

Cloud knew he was stubborn, but he wasn’t an idiot. He didn’t even try to argue, merely laid back and bent his knees up so his feet were flat on the table as Zack had recommended. The feel of rubber biting into his bicep and the strong smell of rubbing alcohol was enough to turn his stomach and make him lightheaded. He _really_ should have slept more last night, he thought, flinching as the needle slipped under his skin.

“Sorry, Cloud. This will only take a minute,” the midnight-haired man assured while he exchanged vials.

In an effort to distract himself, Cloud questioned, “Is that how they’ll know? A blood test?”

Zack shook his head, black spikes swaying, and held pressure over the puncture site. “Angeal says they haven’t found any lab values or genetic markers yet. They’ll use most of this for mako treatment testing.”

“Then how will they figure out what I am, Zack?” As Cloud sat back up, lightheadedness passing quickly, the questions started to pour out like water gushing through a broken dam. “What’s going to happen today? What’s he going to do to me? How painful is it? How long is it going to take? What happens after?” What little control he’d been struggling to hold over himself shattered, anxiety taking full hold.

Zack looked at him with genuine concern in his eyes, grabbing both of Cloud’s arms to steady him. “Cloud, hey. Hey, it’s going to be okay,” he soothed, pulling the quivering form in for a tight embrace. “I’ll try to talk you through whatever’s going to happen, alright? Gaia! Your aversion is so intense, you may very well be an alpha. Here, hold still for a minute.”

Cloud continued to shake, but otherwise stayed relatively still while Zack began nuzzling his face and neck against him, almost like a cat begging for attention. “What are you doing?” Cloud asked warily, wrinkling his nose in confusion. If nothing else, the odd behavior was certainly a distraction, interrupting the flow of more frantic questions.

“Uh, well,” the Second scratched at his scalp as though embarrassed. “Scenting you? Like… rubbing my scent on you, I mean. It’s just… Sometimes even alphas that aren’t fully developed find the omega pheromones calming, even though they can’t consciously smell it yet. We usually just scent the gowns, but since it’s you, I figured…” he gestured vaguely, bronzed face uncharacteristically pink.

“Oh, uh, thanks?” Cloud said awkwardly, not feeling any calmer, but caught off-guard enough to pause his spiral into panic. Apparently, he had a lot more to learn than just materia theory and combat technique. It seemed like he was about to be exposed to an entirely new language. He didn’t have time to dwell on the idea, though, because a knock sounded at the door, and none other than professor Hojo crossed the threshold. A wave of revulsion washed through Cloud at the sight.

“Strife,” the lanky man sneered in lieu of a greeting, beady eyes gleaming behind thick, round glasses. “Here for SOLDIER medical entrance exam, I see.”

Zack placed a comforting hand to Cloud’s lower back. “It’s alright,” he whispered. “The first few minutes will be just like any other physical.”

The explanation was fairly accurate, except that it was Hojo. Not one to waste words on “inferior minds,” he went about his assessment silently, aside from some unintelligible muttering under his breath. Cloud studied the white of the walls intently, suppressing the urge to cringe every time the slimy professor (because was he even really a doctor?) got close to him. Everything about this man was cold, from his demeanor, to his stethoscope, to his bony hands. At least Zack was true to his word, maintaining some sort of contact the entire time.

After listening to Cloud’s lungs, feeling his lymph nodes, and swabbing the inside of his cheek, Hojo stepped away to enter information into an expensive-looking machine. Thank Gaia. Anything that put an extra foot of space in between them was a welcome relief.

“He’s going to do an echo next, an ultrasound of your heart, to make sure you can handle the stress of the conversion process” Zack explained. “All you have to do is lay back. Painless, alright?”

Cloud nodded and hesitantly allowed himself to be guided back onto the table. The front of his gown was pulled open and the blanket adjusted around his narrow hips so that his torso was exposed, like he wasn’t freezing already. Would it have killed anybody to adjust the gods-be-damned thermostat? A full body shudder ran through him as a device covered in chilly, wet gel was placed over the left side of his chest, revealing a grainy black and white image on Hojo’s machine.

He grabbed blindly for a familiar hand, grateful when he found it. The way their calluses fit together was perfect. Would that change once he was trained to wield the heavy swords of SOLDIER? His mind wandered across the growing list of unknowns, much like his eyes wandered across the blank ceiling. As Zack had promised, it was painless, but the contact with Hojo still made his blood pressure rise.

“Mmm… no evidence of septal defects or valvular abnormalities. High probability of survival, then,” the unscrupulous creep mumbled, adjusting some settings. Whether the statement was directed at anybody or not remained unclear, only adding to the mad scientist vibe.

Cloud jerked as his head was suddenly forced to the side, and the probe was moved from his chest to his neck. He squeezed Zack’s hand harder, not liking the feeling of a clammy, untrustworthy palm close to his throat. Fortunately, it didn’t stay there long, even if it felt like an eternity. 

“Supraclavicular scent glands show normal development. Excellent. Fair!” Hojo barked as he rolled his equipment toward the foot of the table. “Put him in lithotomy.”

Cloud’s gaze jolted to Zack, who was busy wiping off any residual slime. He wasn’t entirely sure what the command meant, but it didn’t sound like something pleasant.

“Relax, Cloud. He’s going to ultrasound the scent glands in your groin, same as he just did in your neck,” Zack informed as he left Cloud’s side and pulled metal stirrups from the end of the table. “It’s gonna be okay. Just slide down here to the edge for me.”

Given what little he _did_ know about the unique SOLDIER classifications, he had suspected this was a possibility, but having his suspicions confirmed was a completely different situation. He hesitated, uneasy at the prospect of being completely exposed, downright scared of whatever was to follow. With a little encouragement, he finally scooted himself down and let Zack guide his feet into the supports. The blush in his face spread along his neck, a watercolor creeping over the pale parchment of his skin.

“Let your knees fall to the sides,” Zack coaxed, gently nudging Cloud’s thighs apart. “Little farther. Yeah, just like that.”

Cloud gripped the sides of the table to steady himself, dizzy even while lying flat. Every golden hair on his body stood straight up, the electricity of fear shocking through even the tiniest of muscles. His chest tightened as Hojo took Zack’s place between his legs, the lanky form disappearing behind the blanket. Was losing sight of him better or worse? His train of thought was interrupted when he felt the cold wetness of the ultrasound gel in the crease of his groin, and he drew a sharp breath through his nose at the contact.

“Cloud, hey. Focus on me.” Unexpectedly, Zack hopped up on the table behind his boyfriend, folding his legs under the trooper’s head. “I know he’s touching you, baby, but just focus on me. I’m going to be right here with you.” He put a strong hand on Cloud’s chest, a steadying force that the young man clung to.

Cloud tried to focus. Tried to welcome the gentle pressure against his sternum, to lose himself in the piercing blue gaze and warm features of Zack’s face. But he couldn’t block out the feeling of gloved hands roving over his genitals, touching and palpating, cold and clinical. He couldn’t forget who those cold hands belonged to, the greasy-looking scientist that he had no faith in. Bile rose in the back of his throat, threatening to choke him. 

“Babe, he’s going to check and see if you’re an omega soon, so I want you to relax for me, okay? If you aren’t, he’ll move onto alpha testing.”

“Alpha testing?” He hated how his voice sounded, weak and shaky, barely squeaking out the question.

“Yeah, he’ll test for knot formation. But omega check first, so breathe with me and relax.” Zack flashed one of his irresistibly perfect smiles.

Cloud’s mind flew to the tray of instruments he had seen his boyfriend setting up earlier, and his heart promptly traded places with his stomach. “Wait, Zack. What was the _NNnngg!”_ His words transformed into a startled grunt as slicked fingers were pushed impatiently inside of him without so much as a hint of polite preamble. 

“Breathe, Cloud,” Zack reminded, inhaling and exhaling steadily as a guide.

After the initial reflexive tensing, Cloud forced his body to relax just enough to keep the harsh prodding from being outright painful. He grabbed onto Zack’s forearm, trying to match his pattern of breaths. It didn’t keep him from shifting his hips as Hojo probed at his prostate, far too roughly to be anything but unpleasant. Maybe the movement was too much because a second gloved hand was pressed low over his abdomen. Hard. Surprisingly hard. Simultaneously, Hojo seemed to push even deeper with. _What the hell was he digging so aggressively for?_

“ _Hah! Ow! Zack!_ What’s he doing? Make him stop!” A sharp ache lanced through Cloud’s pelvis, a sensation unlike anything he’d experienced before, like Hojo was pushing right _through_ a part of him.

“Shhh… hold still, baby,” Zack crooned, pushing his lover’s chest down with one hand and cradling his head in the other. “Keep breathing.”

 _No!_ He didn’t _want_ to hold still! It hurt, and he wanted _away_ from it! Not that he had anywhere to go. Zack’s position had effectively rendered him immobile. With a body behind him, there was nowhere to slide, and he certainly couldn’t sit up when he was being held down. Instead, he dug his fingers into Zack’s arm, passing along some of his pain, pleading for it to be over soon. Somewhere, his brain registered that it was only a matter of seconds, but seconds felt like agonizing hours.

When Hojo finally pulled away to open one of the mako-marked packages, Zack glanced over the drape to see the tips of a glove tinged red, confirming what he’d already surmised from Cloud’s reaction.

“Cloud, honey, you’re an omega. Just like me. You’re okay,” Zack soothed, running his fingers through Cloud’s hair in an effort settle the younger man. “Almost done, baby. Once more, and that’s it. You’re doing so good.”

 _Once more?_ Cloud gasped as he felt Hojo reinsert his fingers as if on cue, no more gently and with no more warning then before. A sharpness jabbed at his insides, making his breath hitch and his eyes sting. And then it was over. The sharp pain was gone, replaced by a deep, dull ache. 

“You’re all done, Cloud,” Zack crooned, bringing Cloud’s hand to his lips for chaste, loving kisses.

“Get him enrolled in the maturation protocol, Fair,” Hojo ordered, snapping off his nitrile gloves. “First dose has been administered. Contraceptive placement in five days. SOLDIER initiation treatment in seven.”

Then, Hojo did something that terrified Cloud to the depths of his very soul. The mad scientist clapped him on the shoulder and _smiled_. “Strife, this is wonderful news. We needed more omega specimens. Congratulations, and welcome to SOLDIER.”

Once the professor had left, a strange numbness settled over Cloud, like he wasn’t actually one with his own body. He barely noticed Zack cleaning him off, barely heard him talking through the schedule of appointments for the upcoming week. There was a static buzzing in his ears that seemed to drown out every word but one.

_Omega._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Surprise! Cloud is an Omega. (This shocks no one.) Don't worry, Cloud is going to get a little warmth and kindness next chapter (I'd love to say next weekend, but my work schedule sucks this week, making that questionable) to make up for this one.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cloud begins his process with the maturation protocol and merits an unexpected invitation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My apologies for the delay between postings. In addition to me being a slow writer, work has been brutal the last couple of weeks, allowing me very little time for writing or cosplay crafting.

The next morning, Cloud felt as though he were moving through a thick fog, as though some kind of mystical barrier stood between him and reality. _Omega_ kept flashing through his mind like a gaudy neon sign from Wall Market, a reminder of everything that was changing. As desperately as he was trying to pretend that everything was normal, it wasn’t. Not really.

Zack had done his best, of course, to provide a brilliant distraction following the events of the previous day. He’d come home after his shift, toting bags of their favorite Mideelian take-out and a copy of the newest co-op shooter game, and spent the evening curled up with Cloud on the couch. There’d been laughter, rivalry, hair-mussing and a very deliberate avoidance of any sensitive topics. Cloud had been grateful. At the time.

Now, he was dreading the idea of spending an entire shift around other troopers, having mentally processed almost nothing. He knew he wasn’t the only one in his squad to have been recently accepted into SOLDIER, and he was sure there’d only be one topic on everybody’s mind. One he’d rather not discuss with people he had only a superficial connection to, people whom he’d _always_ struggled to fit in with.

“Strife!” his commanding officer barked immediately upon his arrival. All business, all the time. “You’re posted at elevator tower G, today. I’ve also received an updated schedule detailing that you will be relieved at promptly 1400 for the remainder of the week as part of your preparation for SOLDIER.” Without further fanfare, he waved Cloud off, apparently having no need to address the squad as a whole that morning.

It wasn’t the most exciting assignment, not by far, but Cloud was grateful for the solitude it would offer him. His only exposure to other candidates would be brief and in passing, with little time for much more than a polite greeting. He wasn’t sure exactly why he was dreading those conversations so much. He only felt that admitting his newfound omega status would somehow alienate him, separating him even further from his peers.

It wasn’t that Shinra’s military was prejudiced against omegas. Quite the opposite, actually. Rather, the company placed a high value on the rarest sub-class of SOLDIER. Lazard believed in capitalizing on natural instincts rather than fighting them. Therefore, omegas were often given command over a squadron of similarly ranked alphas, knowing that the alpha drive to protect an omega was strong. This strategy made the whole group fight more fiercely, more cohesively, like an artificial pack. Provided that rutting and heat-stricken parties were removed, of course. The science department was still working on a way to control the cyclical hormone surges and the unique behaviors that ensued.

The day passed both slowly and quickly. There wasn’t much to actually _do_ at an elevator post. Sure, the occasional teen would stray from their group tour on a dare and need a warning, but very few people were stupid enough to actually try to gain illegal access to the upper floors of Shinra tower. Mostly, Cloud just watched employees filter by him, idly glancing at their badges as they walked past and listening for the telltale _ping_ of an accepted keycard.

Each SOLDIER that crossed his path set his mind to spinning. They all seemed so confident, so sure of themselves and their place in the world. He was envious. It was how he’d always imagined he would be upon being accepted into the company’s elite military ranks. But how very different reality was. Instead, he spent the first half of his shift wondering who already knew he was an omega. Did his CO know? Had others in his squad figured it out? Was it marked in his public file now? He already got shit for being smaller than other troopers, for being shy, for getting motion sick. Would this only add to the list? And what did it mean for his future? What was his life _really_ going to look like? 

At promptly 1400, his relief reported in. It was a newer trooper, somebody he’d barely met before. Somebody who wouldn’t ask prying questions. Once again, Cloud was grateful, but he was beginning to get suspicious. Was he being deliberately kept separate? Were all of the SOLDIER candidates being similarly isolated? He decided to chalk it up to circumstance for the time being and focused instead on making his way to Zack’s apartment to shower and complete the other necessary preparations before his scheduled appointment time.

***

All too soon, Cloud found himself in the waiting area again, edgy and uncomfortable. Luckily (or unluckily?), he wasn’t forced to wait long. No sooner had he sat down than his name was called, and he was led back to an exam room by an assistant he didn’t recognize. As he followed the instructions to strip out of his pants and boxers, draping a blanket over his naked lower half, he felt his heart begin to race.

Medical wasn’t a place he _ever_ wanted to be. Nothing pleasant happened here. But the memories of the day before were making it so much worse. They were too fresh, too invasive. He could almost feel the phantom hands of Hojo roving over and _into_ his body, could hear the nasally voice congratulating him in that terrifying way, could see the smile that seemed to ice his very core. A sudden knock at the door made him jump.

“Cloud Strife?” a deep voice called from across the threshold. A burly man dressed in black scrubs came through the door smiling warmly. “Zack’s partner, right?”

“Uh, y…yeah,” Cloud stammered, taking in the dark hair and kind eyes before him.

“Cloud, I’m Angeal,” the man said as he offered his hand in greeting. “I’m the medical officer who’ll be working with you. It’s nice to finally meet you outside of a classroom, though I’m not sure this is any better.” He laughed lightly at his own joke.

“Nice to meet you, too,” Cloud replied, almost on autopilot. It was a little hard to work his dry tongue loose from the roof of his mouth. He’d known who Zack’s alpha was, and had met the man briefly during a first-aid class in training, but never one-on-one like this. While always honest about it, Zack had kept a distinct boundary between his romantic life that included Cloud and his instinct-driven life that didn’t, so he’d never made any kind of personal introductions. Sure, they’d discussed it, but, given that Cloud had no experience with any of the odd developmental effects of mako at the time, it had just seemed like it would be awkward and uncomfortable for all parties involved. So much for avoiding an awkward introduction, Cloud thought to himself.

“We don’t usually bring a tech in the room for this kind of simple administration, but would you like me to see if Zack is available?” Angeal offered, sincerity written on his chiseled, angular features.

“No, that’s okay,” Cloud mumbled back, not wanting to be a bother or, worse, appear weak.

“Alright. I’ll just grab a quick set of vitals, and then we’ll get this done,” Angeal explained, scrolling through Cloud’s file on his tablet.

Cloud felt his trembling wrist be dwarfed by the alpha’s strong, but gentle hand that felt for his rapid pulse. He fought to keep himself from hyperventilating, not sure that he was effectively fooling anybody, yet determined to at least try. He supposed it didn’t actually matter, in the end. As long as he got it over with. Then, he could at least get the hell out of here.

Angeal took a deep breath and let out a sigh, seating himself on a wheeled stool so that he was just below Cloud’s eye level. “I’m going to be honest, Cloud. You’re showing some signs of a pretty severe stress response. I think perhaps we should slow down and see if we can’t get you settled a bit first. That sound okay?”

Cloud wanted to argue, to beg for him to just get on with it. He didn’t want to stay a second longer than he absolutely had to. He wanted whatever was going to happen to just be done so he could _leave._ Pricks of frustration stung at his eyes, and his hands balled into fists.

Angeal just nodded his head knowingly, like he’d seen this reaction before. “It’s a lot to handle at once, I know. You were with Hojo yesterday, weren’t you.” It wasn’t even a question. More of a sympathetic statement of fact.

Cloud’s eyes dropped immediately to the floor, but his spikes bobbed in agreement.

“I’m guessing he didn’t explain what happened yesterday or what to expect today. Or probably much of anything else, right?”

Another silent head nod.

A quiet sound of exasperation escaped Angeal’s lips. “Then, let’s see if I can at least clear some things up for you. Yesterday, when determining your subclass, Hojo would have performed a rectal exam to feel for an extra lumen, or passage, that omegas have, which serves a reproductive purpose. You probably experienced some discomfort at that time?” Angeal looked at Cloud expectantly. “Beyond the normal discomfort, I mean,” he corrected.

Cloud felt his face burn and nodded yet again. _That’s_ what the creep had been groping so aggressively for. Well, discomfort was certainly one way to put it.

“It was painful for you because that passage isn’t fully developed yet, and it won’t be until it’s exposed to higher levels of mako. The problem is that we need to access that lumen in order to insert a contraceptive device before your conversion treatment makes you fertile. It’s to ensure you don’t get pregnant while you’re on active duty in SOLDIER. Still following?”

After almost choking on the very _word_ ‘pregnant,’ Cloud thought about the rest of Angeal’s statement. “How do you access it if it’s not even developed?”

Angeal smiled. “Exactly. That’s what the maturation protocol is for. We insert a capsule of mako directly into that lumen for a few consecutive days so that the anatomy matures without the systemic effects of a full treatment. That way, we can put the device in before your SOLDIER enhancement alters your hormones and actually makes you able to conceive. Does that make a little more sense?”

It took a while to wrap his head around it, especially the whole ‘ability to conceive’ bit, but the explanation did bring a lot of clarity to the situation. And oddly, it did seem to calm Cloud a little. Enough to stop the tremors anyway.

“What sort of questions do you have? About the process, about being an omega, about what to expect… anything?” Angeal patiently offered some time to think.

“Actually…” Cloud’s face took on another shade of embarrassment. “When will I um…” he gestured at himself, not sure he wanted to bring up such a personal topic directly.

Fortunately, the First didn’t require any additional details. “Everybody’s different, but generally, omegas tend to experience their first heat eight to twelve weeks after their final mako enhancement. Subsequent heats usually follow every six to eight weeks after that. Anything else?” Angeal couldn’t help but feel a little sorry for the younger omega. Zack had mentioned his shyness and flagged his chart with ‘potentially phobic, may require alpha-type handling’, but the trooper was _clearly_ struggling with the transition process more than expected.

“Why can’t I tell that Zack’s an omega? Like when…” Shit. He hadn’t thought this out. Even though the question had been gnawing at him, maybe he shouldn’t ask it of _Zack’s godsbedamned alpha!_

Angeal’s calm, professional demeanor didn’t falter in the slightest. “When you’re intimate, you mean? Unless he were in heat, you’d be unlikely to notice it because most of the time that opening is fairly hidden,” he explained, making air quotations around the word “hidden”. “Today, for example, I’ll probably need to place a fair amount of pressure low on your abdomen to push those organs into a place where I can find them. During heat, however, the walls of that passage become engorged, and the slick-producing glands swell. Everything inside realigns as a result, which makes it much easier to find. It also means those sorts of restroom needs won’t be an issue during heat. Did that answer your question?”

This was easily more information than Cloud had gleaned in all his time in Shinra’s military to date. The company was incredibly tight-lipped about the whole developmental phenomenon, another dirty secret of Shinra. He nodded his head and tried to offer a weak smile of gratitude. “Thanks, Angeal.”

“Anytime, Cloud. Really, I mean that.” He clapped a large hand to the young man’s arm in emphasis. “Feeling a little calmer? A little more ready?”

Cloud was surprised to note that, yes, the conversation had made at least somewhat of a difference. Even though he’d still rather be anywhere else but here. He laid back and began to slide himself toward the edge of the table, but Angeal stopped him.

“You don’t need to be quite so exposed today,” he said, ushering Cloud back toward the top of the exam bed. “Instead, I’m going to have you lay on your left side, and bend your right knee forward,” he instructed with a few guiding motions. “I know it probably feels like a lot of strangers are touching you in uncomfortable places right now, so I’ll keep you as covered as I can.”

As Cloud positioned himself, he felt his pulse quicken again. He tried to quiet his mind, to remind himself that it wasn’t as though he’d _never_ done something like this before, but he couldn’t convince his brain to calm down. He heard the snapping of gloves, the tearing of packages. Memories of Hojo’s roughness flashed through his mind again. Cold air drifted along his backside as Angeal moved the blanket, and Cloud instinctively tensed all over.

“Cloud, you’re going to feel me touch you now,” the deep voice warned.

Cloud couldn’t help but flinch away from the feeling of one hand spreading him open, of another dabbing cold jelly against his opening. Another stranger. Another unwelcome intrusion just ahead. He gritted his teeth in preparation, but the nitrile-covered fingers and the capsule they held simply rested there, applying only the barest hint of pressure.

“It’s alright, Cloud,” Angeal said evenly. “Take some deep breaths. Relax. I’ll wait until you give me a nod to let me know you’re ready.”

Strangely, that felt like the most control Cloud had been given since he’d received his acceptance into SOLDIER, and he clung to it. He reminded himself that this wasn’t Hojo, that Zack trusted _this_ man wholeheartedly. Cloud focused on that fact, appreciative of the patience and kindness that Angeal was offering him in this moment. He took a few deep breaths to calm himself, or try to at least. Once he felt like his ribs could at least contain his heart, Cloud nodded slowly.

“Okay, _lots_ of pressure. Keep taking those deep breaths,” Angeal encouraged as he pressed inward.

It took a bit of concentration, but Cloud kept his body loose while Angeal pushed into him cautiously but deeply. For being as muscular and intimidating as he was, the officer had a surprisingly gentle touch. Cloud supposed he understood why Zack felt comfortable and safe enough with this alpha to spend his heats with him, though he would have rather gotten acquainted under different circumstances. The alpha had been nothing but compassionate and patient, a stark contrast to the day prior.

“Cloud, you’re doing great. I’m almost done. I need to push the medication into that passage we talked about, so I’m going to use my other hand to press just over your pubic bone. Are you ready?” He waited until Cloud nodded again. “You’ll feel a lot of cramping as the capsule goes in, but then it’s over.”

Angeal’s free hand slid around to Cloud’s front, tender but professional. Then he seemed to push from both inside and outside simultaneously, and that same sharp ache from the day before lanced through Cloud’s pelvis, causing the trooper to curl in on himself painfully. 

“All done,” Angeal assured him, withdrawing smoothly. He delicately cleaned off the remaining gel and tucked the blanket around Cloud’s form while the younger man took a short time to recover.

Once the pain dulled, Cloud pushed himself back up to sitting, a little pale and a little shaky, but glad it hadn’t been worse.

“Are you alright?” the officer asked, genuine concern in his voice.

“Yeah, just uncomfortable,” he admitted, wrapping an arm around his middle.

“The cramping will last for a few hours, but probably not as long as yesterday. That’ll all get better as the anatomy matures,” Angeal explained. He had a pensive look on his face, one corner of his mouth drawn in like maybe he was biting the inside of his lip.

“Is this what’ll happen tomorrow, too?” Cloud asked, slightly queasy.

Angeal tapped out a short rhythm on his tablet with his fingernails, clearly contemplating something. “Cloud, I want to ask something, if I may.”

It wasn’t like Cloud was in any position to say no, especially given the warmth and understanding this man had offered him.

“Forgive me for being forward, but I can see that this very place sets you on edge, for obvious reasons. What if you didn’t have to come here tomorrow?”

Cloud tilted his head, not really understanding, but also very much liking the idea of not having to return _here_.

Angeal hurried out an explanation, as though the words might sting him if he didn’t get them out fast enough. “Sephiroth, Genesis, and I will be gathering at my apartment tomorrow to watch the season premiere of Gen’s favorite show. I thought that perhaps you and Zack would like to join us? I can make an excuse for us to step into another room briefly, administer the capsule, and save you the trip to medical.” It wasn’t exactly an _approved_ way to do things, but nobody would question him on it either. Besides, he didn’t exactly _approve_ of the company’s methods in these matters, which was why he’d gotten some of the more compassionate members of SOLDIER involved in the medical wing in the first place.

It took some effort to keep his jaw from hitting the floor, but Cloud thought he managed to pull off a relatively neutral expression while he considered the offer. On one hand, it felt like a pity offer, and that rankled Cloud on a deep level. On the other, Zack would likely be excited at the suggestion of all of them finally hanging out together. It would bridge a gap that the ever-positive Second never complained about, but probably always recognized. In any case, Cloud had to come to terms with the fact that he would never be Zack’s alpha, so he might as well make an effort to be cordial. Plus, being able to spend a day away from this godsforsaken place did hold an undeniable appeal.

“Um… that’s really generous. I’ll talk to Zack tonight and let you know.”

Angeal smiled, seemingly relieved at his response. Had he been holding his breath, or was that Cloud’s imagination? “There’s no obligation, of course. As for today, you’re all set. Take it easy for the evening, and same prep instructions for tomorrow,” he informed as he headed out the door.

Cloud sat in stunned silence after the door clicked shut. Had he just agreed to watch a television show with his boyfriend and the three most well-known SOLDIERs on the Planet? What in Ifrit’s hellfire was happening?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There was actually more to this chapter, initially. However, in writing it, I discovered that it really needed to be broken into two chapters or else it'd be really long and disjointed. The good news is that means the next chapter is already underway. Fingers crossed for more writing time in the near future!


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There wasn't originally an intention for smut in this chapter but... well, here we are. I tried to at least limit it to just a dusting.

“You did what?” Genesis exclaimed, flabbergasted by Angeal’s announcement.

“I invited Cloud and Zack to join us tomorrow evening,” Angeal repeated.

“No, no. I heard what you said. I’m more curious as to what you were thinking.”

“I don’t know, Gen,” Angeal sighed. “He was so obviously distressed, and you know how that can be. His aversion to the medical wing rivals even Seph’s.” He couldn’t get the image of trembling limbs and fearful blue eyes out of his mind. “I thought this would allow him a day away from that place. Besides, I don’t think he’s handling the idea of the transition well, so maybe spending time with some mature, stable alphas would be helpful.” Though, perhaps mature and stable were a bit of a stretch in this moment.

“And it couldn’t possibly be that you’re doing this to woo your precious puppy, could it?” the redhead sneered. “Sephiroth, what do you have to say about all of this?

The tall general merely shrugged from his spot in his favorite chair, face stoic and impassive as usual. “We’ve always been friendly with Zackary, and he’s never crossed any boundary that we’ve set for him. Therefore, I’m not opposed to meeting his partner, given Angeal’s proposed motivations behind it.”

Genesis threw his hands up and grumbled something unintelligible under his breath about ‘cold’ and ‘logic’.

“Thank you,” Angeal said to Sephiroth, grateful for his support on the matter. Truthfully, he’d known Genesis could be moody and was prone to jealous fits, but he hadn’t expected to be met with quite so much venom. He did a quick mental tally and ruled out an impending rut as a possible cause.

“Of course,” Sephiroth agreed easily. Then he reached out to the feisty commander, who was attempting to stomp past him, grabbed his wrist, and pulled him swiftly into his lap. “Rough mission, Gen?” he asked, teasing his long fingers through silky auburn strands until he felt his partner’s fight begin to bleed away.

“No,” Genesis insisted sullenly, which, in Genesis speak, meant ‘most definitely’. As much as he tried to resist out of stubbornness, the soothing feeling of nails scratching at his scalp achieved its intended effect. Before long, he gave in, resting his head on Sephiroth’s strong shoulder and breathing in the familiar smell of vanilla and wintry tundra. “Fine. Yes,” he grumbled. “Roche was assigned to my unit because apparently Lazard is a sadistic asshat, and he managed to be a dreadful nuisance the entire week we were on the northern continent, which, by the way, is the frozen fourth level of hell.”

Sephiroth chuckled and nuzzled closer, lightly scenting the slender man in his arms. “Sounds exhausting,” he acknowledged as he tucked Genesis’s head under his chin.

“It was,” Genesis agreed, melting into the warm embrace. “Alphas like him give the rest of us a bad reputation. Would you believe I caught him trying to torment an unmarked omega? Like some disgusting, feral mongrel. Ugh!”

Angeal would believe it, unfortunately. Incidents like that weren’t commonplace, but they weren’t unheard of either. “You fired him, didn’t you.” He wasn’t really asking. More like concluding.

“You know I don’t have any authority over an individual’s employment status,” Genesis huffed, voice slightly muffled as he nosed at Sephiroth’s neck. “I can only make recommendations.”

“Genesis. You know that’s not what I meant.”

Even though it wasn’t visible because of his position, the smirk was evident in Genesis’s voice. “Maybe just a basic fire,” he admitted. “Just enough to make him yelp. Well… and to scorch some of his split ends. His hair is atrocious, anyway.”

Angeal groaned, sure that this would result in some sort of mandatory meeting regarding appropriate use of materia on company time. Sephiroth, on the other hand, gave an amused snort and began kneading the tight muscles at the nape of Genesis’s neck.

Angeal watched some of the tension seep from the redhead’s body under Sephiroth’s affections. If only the company knew their poster-boy General could be a bit of a cuddler when he wanted to be. Maybe it was because he’d been deprived of caring touch for so long, having grown up in the labs. It warmed Angeal’s heart and brought a smile to his face. He couldn’t help but reach out to touch them both, offering apologetic kisses to their foreheads.

“I’m sorry. I should have spoken with you both beforehand, but it wasn’t something I had even considered prior to his appointment. I’d be happy to text Zack and rescind the invitation if it would make either of you more comfortable,” he offered sincerely. This probably hadn’t been his finest moment, and he knew he was far from perfect. They all were, in their own ways, despite their vaunted positions on Shinra’s shiny pedestal.

Genesis finally turned his face away from Sephiroth’s collarbone to face Angeal, eyes somewhat more heavily lidded than before. “No, Ang, it’s alright. I’m sorry I was being a bit of a brat. It’s just been a trying week, and I was looking forward to some quiet time with the pair of you,” he admitted, bringing Angeal’s hand up to his lips and kissing the knuckles in forgiveness. “And you,” he purred at Sephiroth. “Your hands are magic, darling. Don’t stop.”

Dropping his head to the Genesis’s ear, Sephiroth whispered loudly enough to be heard by both parties. “Do you know what else is magic?” There was definitely a glint in those emerald eyes when he grinned wickedly toward Angeal.

The burly First turned an odd shade of pink, knowing exactly what Sephiroth was getting at. 

Genesis donned an equally wicked grin to match Sephiroth’s. “Mmmm,” he hummed, reaching out to gently tap Angeal’s bottom lip. “You know, Seph, I think I could use a reminder, now that you mention it. Thanks for the suggestion.” He swiveled his entire body until he was facing Angeal, leaning back against Sephiroth’s torso, neck extended so the silver-haired general could kiss and nibble in that possessive way he always did.

Angeal scrubbed a hand over his face. It wasn’t that he minded what they were suggesting. He just couldn’t get used to how forward these two were when they got into a mood together, like all the energy they pitted against each other when they sparred combined into an undeniable force of nature when they were on the same team. An undeniable force of nature that had him sinking to his knees in acquiescence. The man had been away for a week, after all. He deserved to be welcomed home properly.

With one arm wrapped tightly around Genesis’s torso, Sephiroth lifted his lover’s chin with the other, drawing him in for a savage kiss, full of teeth and tongue and a dominance that bordered on animalistic. He inhaled cinnamon and smoke, the smell reminiscent of spiced cider around a campfire. Only when the slender man yielded in his arms did he pull away and offer them both a chance to come up for air. 

Genesis, breathless and panting, promptly let go of… everything. Of his week away, of his reservations, of control. It gave him a feeling of weightlessness, floating between the insistent mouth nipping at his neck and the warm hands making their way up his thighs. His muscles softened while his cock hardened, and yes, this was what it felt like to be home. Wanted and loved. Smothered and devoured. This was what he’d been missing.

A quiet moan was drawn past the redhead’s vocal cords when a palm settled over the bulge growing in his pants. Angeal’s palm, judging by the firm, heavy weight of it. Genesis would have shifted in a silent request for more, but the steely arms around him held him still. Instead, he contented himself by fisting a hand in the flowing curtain of silver that surrounded him, gasping as teeth grazed over the sensitive gland in his neck. 

“Easy, Gen,” Angeal rumbled when he popped the button on his lover’s trousers, pleased by the obvious need rising beneath his touch as he peeled open the tight leather. He leaned in, placing hot, open-mouthed kisses over the thin fabric of Genesis’s well-fitted briefs until the man practically whimpered with frustration.

“Ang, stop teasing,” the redhead pleaded, most definitely not begging. Alphas didn’t beg. Yet when Angeal added the moist weight of his tongue to the kisses, tantalizing even through the layer of cloth, Genesis was certain these had to be considered exceptional circumstances. “Please, Ang,” he added with a whine.

Satisfied with his lover’s plea, Angeal hooked his fingers into the no-longer-welcome waistband of Genesis’s pants and nodded at Sephiroth, who loosened his grip just enough to allow the baring of their captive’s lower half.

“Just relax and enjoy, Genesis,” purred Sephiroth, pulling on the commander’s dangling earring with his teeth. He hugged the man close again, tightly enough to hear the air whoosh from his chest. Truth told, Sephiroth didn’t like being away from either of his partners for long periods of time, loathe to have taken from him the love and affection he had grown up without, so he treasured these moments of reunion perhaps more than anybody knew.

Meanwhile, Angeal scraped his nails along the inside of Genesis’s perfectly smooth, white thighs, drawing lines of lightest pink that served as a roadmap to his mouth’s destination. A few more pecks against creamy skin. A few more moments of gentle teasing. Then he took Genesis firmly in hand, lapped up the salty moisture beading at his slit, and finally wrapped his lips around the man’s twitching arousal. The sound of relief that echoed through the room was music to his ears.

He moved at a languid pace to start, laving every inch of Genesis’s hardness with his tongue and bobbing his head slowly. One hand wandered as it willed, gripping a hip, tugging lightly at the loose skin of Genesis’s sac, massaging over a scent gland in his groin to bring forth more of that unique and titillating aroma. Angeal breathed deeply and hummed in pleasure, which sent a shiver through the body before him.

Genesis gasped and moaned, lost in the warm doting of his partners. Sephiroth hadn’t been exaggerating when he’d commented on Angeal’s oral skills being magical. It was like the man knew how to take him apart with each deliberate swipe of his tongue and every perfectly-timed swallow. Though the way Sephiroth kept kissing him, deeply and possessively, like he was determined to mark Genesis’s very soul, wasn’t exactly tempering the flames building within. He tried to rock his hips, but was unable to given how tightly he was held. A particularly strong pull of suction had him desperately threading his fingers into short dark hair.

“Ange, I’m…” Genesis panted, almost disappointed at how quickly this would be over. It had been a week away. With very little privacy to boot.

Close went unsaid, but Angeal didn’t need to hear it to know. He could feel it in the way Genesis’s cock throbbed against his palate, could hear it in the way his breathing had lost any semblance of a rhythm. Part of him was tempted to pause, to draw it out and make him wait. But a greater part of him just wanted his lover to enjoy the release, to ride the rush of endorphins into a calm afterglow. They could always draw it out later, after the fiery commander had taken a little time to unwind from his recent deployment. 

That in mind, Angeal took Genesis in fully, hollowing his cheeks and working his tongue until he heard a familiar melodic cry of bliss. He swallowed dutifully, undeterred by the bitter taste of his lover’s release, and if he continued sucking a little longer than necessary, perhaps until Genesis was flinching away in overstimulation… Well, he certainly heard no complaints.

Genesis shuddered through the occasional aftershock as his body descended from the heights of orgasm. Long fingers resumed their soothing ministrations in his hair. A warm cheek rested against his thigh. His fuzzy mind reveled in the warmth of loving attention being showered upon him, and then a stray thought made its way to the forefront.

“Sephiroth, you barely feel hard at all,” he remarked, wiggling his ass in emphasis.

Sephiroth and Angeal, both, remained oddly silent. Neither made eye contact.

Genesis only laughed, too blissed out to be angry. “I thought it smelled like sex when I walked in the door. You two fucked right before I got here, didn’t you? Wait, are you apologizing for your actions with sexual favors, Angeal? That seems most dishonorable.”

Angeal opened his mouth to protest. To argue that his intentions hadn’t been anything like that. To tell Genesis that he couldn’t help that there were three alphas, three horny alphas, in this relationship. To remind him that Sephiroth was the one that had suggested this particular activity in the first place. 

Genesis grinned and waved him off before he got the chance. “Either way, that was one hell of an apology, Angeal. Remind me to get upset with you more often.” He cupped Angeal’s jaw with his hand and smiled warmly. “And yes, it’s fine if Zack and Cloud join us tomorrow. As long as they don’t interrupt my show with banal conversation. You know if it’s not related to the show, it can wait for commercial.”

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

“I think he might be ashamed of being an omega,” Angeal warned as he fretted needlessly over a tray of snacks in preparation for Zack and Cloud’s arrival. “So please don’t acknowledge the reason I invited him here.”

Sephiroth looked mildly puzzled, the mere concept clearly beyond his comprehension. “Why would anybody be ashamed of that?” he asked, settling himself into the same chair from the day prior. “It’s not as though he had a say in the matter.”

Angeal mused for a moment. “Maybe embarrassed would be a better word,” he corrected, thinking of the shy way Cloud had asked about heat cycles. “I’m not really sure, Seph. I just think it would be better if we didn’t mention it today.”

None of that seemed particularly logical to Sephiroth, but he accepted that perhaps it was something he simply wouldn’t understand. If Angeal asked him not to say anything, then he wouldn’t, but that didn’t mean he was any less confused about the subject.

“He does realize we know what you’ll be whisking him away to do at some point, though, right?” Genesis prodded, for once almost as confused as Sephiroth by Cloud’s alleged embarrassment. None of the books or articles he’d read about omegas, and he’d read quite a few, had mentioned any dysphoria surrounding the status. 

Angeal ran his hand thoughtfully through his chin-length, black hair. “Honestly, Gen, I don’t know the answer to that.” He wasn’t sure if Zack knew either, for that matter, only that the Second had seemed excited for Cloud to meet everybody.

Their conversation was cut short by the rapping of knuckles against the door of Angeal’s apartment. A peek through the fisheye revealed one Zack Fair, bouncing on the balls of his feet, with a nervous-looking Cloud Strife in tow.

“Welcome Zack, Cloud,” Angeal greeted as he swung the door wide. He wasn’t sure of the appropriate social gesture and settled on extending his hand.

“Hey Ang!” Zack accepted the hand, but pulled the alpha in for a half-hug too, never one to skip out on affection. “Thanks for having us over!”

Cloud looked only slightly less uneasy than he had in medical, but firmly returned the handshake anyway. “Commander Hewley,” he mumbled in a far-too-formal reply.

“Please call me Angeal. We’re just normal people behind these doors,” Angeal said, smiling genuinely. “Let me introduce you to my partners, Genesis and Sephiroth.” He gestured at them both. “Gentlemen, this is Cloud.”

Sephiroth stayed seated, but smiled and waved in what he hoped would be received as a warm welcome. He was well-aware that his tall form and iconic appearance often intimidated others, whether it was his intention or not, and it had been clear that Angeal’s goal was to make Cloud feel comfortable. Therefore, he was doing what he could to help. Even his outfit choice had been deliberately casual, including the charcoal-gray hoodie that de-emphasized the unnaturally perfect lines of his body.

Genesis, however, made no effort to blend in with the furniture. He sauntered over, in his fitted, red v-neck shirt and black jeans, and took Cloud’s hand in his own to kiss the blond’s knuckles. It got exactly the reaction he wanted – wide eyes and a pink tinge to the budding omega’s cheeks. “Enchanted to meet you, Cloud,” he said, flashing a dazzling smile. 

“Hey, how come you never greet me like that?!” Zack huffed, schooling his face into a pout.

“Because, puppy, you’ve never been charming enough to warrant it,” Genesis replied haughtily and patted Zack’s head.

Angeal rolled his eyes at the display. “Please, come in and make yourselves comfortable.”

Cloud tried to keep his mouth from dropping open. Did one of the commanders of Shinra’s military just kiss his hand? And was that really the General, the Silver Demon himself, sprawled out like a large cat in a living room chair? And… puppy? He’d expected to be a little starstruck, but this was completely surreal.

With a little effort, he forced himself to shake off his disbelief, slipping out of his shoes and following Zack to the large couch in front of the television. Zack plopped down in the center of the sofa, clearly at ease with everybody in the room, despite Commander Rha… Genesis’s snide comment. This left Cloud to decide whether he’d sit on the side close to Sephiroth, who, as it turned out, was just as beautiful in shapeless sweats as he was in his sleek customized SOLDIER garb, or the side next to a currently empty chair. Shyness won out, and he selected the spot adjacent to the unoccupied chair, where he sat feeling awkward and out of place, the weight of Sephiroth’s gaze heavy upon his shoulders.

“Darling, I know he’s pretty, but it’s impolite to stare,” Genesis tutted as he swept into the chair next to Cloud, sipping at a glass of crisp Banoran white. 

“I wasn’t staring, I…” Sephiroth started in his deep baritone, despite having been doing exactly that. “I’m sorry. I think I’m just tired from staring at a mountain of paperwork all day.” That’s what he’d tell himself anyway. He certainly wasn’t admiring the golden spikes, almost as unruly as Zack’s, but softer, somehow. Nor was he appreciating Cloud’s form, slight for a SOLDIER, even for an omega, but clearly filling out with lean muscle that would only become more defined post-enhancement. Calloused fingers twined with his own as Angeal took the last available spot on the sofa, drawing his attention gently away.

“So, Cloud, where are you from?” the auburn-haired man asked, determined to draw this chocobo hatchling out of its shell a little in the few remaining minutes before the season premiere.

“Nibelheim, sir,” Cloud replied softly.

“He’s a backwater boy like me!” Zack added, ruffling the blond hair affectionately and earning a yelp of protest.

“But more cultured, I’m sure,” Genesis continued his harassment of the Second, who seemed wholly unaffected by the insult. “Are you familiar with Loveless, Cloud?”

“Geeeeeennn,” Zack groaned. “Please don’t get started.”

Angeal chuckled. “You don’t have to answer that, Cloud. Zack’s right on this one. If you get him started, he’ll wax poetic about it until tomorrow.”

“Hmph!” Genesis sniffed, affronted.

Cloud felt strangely caught in the middle, not wanting to offend anyone, but he was saved by the introductory theme music to Midgar’s Most Eligible blaring through the speakers. Everybody went silent at that point, something that Zack had forewarned him about. Apparently, Genesis would not tolerate conversation during his beloved reality dating show unless it was about the show, which was something Cloud could appreciate. The host went through his usual spiel regarding the elimination process and workings of the program, and then introduced the eligible bachelor of the season, a familiar face to all in the room.

“Rufus?!” Genesis almost spit his wine out with the explosiveness of his alarm. “Rufus fucking Shinra?! What were they thinking?”

Cloud didn’t imagine it could be all that surprising. “What do you mean?” he blurted out. “He’s young, relatively attractive, and definitely rich. Isn’t that exactly what the producers look for?” His statement earned him a shocked look from Genesis, and he immediately regretted speaking up. The commander was probably astounded by his stupidity. If only he’d kept his mouth shut.

“He’s enhanced,” stated Sephiroth, factually. “And an alpha.” The ‘unbonded’ was implied given that he was being pursued by a gaggle of unsuspecting women.

So much for avoiding that topic, Angeal thought, and tried to explain further. “If he were to enter a rut during filming, a number of things could happen. He would definitely surprise, and could potentially injure, the unenhanced women. He might pursue other avenues for relief of his symptoms and get caught breaching the show’s contract. He could cause more trouble than he probably realizes. Rufus isn’t exactly known for his outstanding character.” Hopefully, that was enough of an explanation. He didn’t want to overwhelm Cloud with unnecessary information or otherwise make him uncomfortable.

Genesis, on the other hand, couldn’t hold in his compulsion towards juicy gossip. “And if Tseng goes into heat… well…” he smirked.

“Tseng?” Cloud asked, disbelievingly. “Like, head of the Turks, Tseng?”

“Mmmhmmm,” Genesis nodded. “Tseng is an omega, and he and Rufus are a bit of an item, albeit under the radar. They’re not bonded, of course, but there are many that speculate he often hides Rufus’s mark under makeup, given the scent. It’d be quite the scandal if they were to get caught. The president would be livid to know his precious son was canoodling with an employee.”

Cloud, stunned, turned his attention back to the show while his mind continued to process. Tseng was an omega? He’d known some of the Turks were unenhanced, had to be since some of them were women. But he’d always thought the enhanced Turks were all betas, well-known for their stable temperaments that allowed them to be controlled and ruthless as Shinra’s spies and hitmen.

Women were paraded in front of Rufus, one-by-one, each with her own introduction as a member of this season’s cast. They were elegantly-clad, with dazzling gowns and perfect hair, like potential wives being shown to Don Corneo in Wall Market. It seemed they didn’t all have the same meticulous stylist though.

“That’s a terrible style and color for her,” Cloud mumbled, forgetting his place for a moment.

Genesis, once again, turned a look of complete shock and awe upon the trooper. And, once again, Cloud felt like an idiot for opening his mouth, even more so when he realized Genesis wasn’t the only one staring at him.

“Wait a second,” the redhead paused. “This is the second time tonight you’ve said something genuinely insightful about this show. Cloud, do you enjoy watching this?”

Cloud turned a bright shade of scarlet and tried to melt himself into the upholstery. He’d never admitted it to Zack, but yeah, watching Midgar’s Most Eligible might be one of his guilty pleasures, no matter how ridiculous and pathetic it could get. It was something he generally just recorded and watched when he had some spare time alone, too embarrassed by the dirty habit to tell anyone. He grimaced, secret revealed, but finally nodded under Genesis’s intensely blue stare.

“What’s wrong with the style on her?” Genesis asked quizzically.

“Well…” Cloud hesitated, turning redder by the second. “The high-low hemline only works well on somebody with long legs, so it just makes her look kind of disproportionate.”

Genesis outright crowed at the response. “Yes! Exactly!! Cloud, you are officially welcome to watch this show with us every week, even if you and I have to kick everybody else out. It is about time somebody could appreciate the finer things with me,” he said accusingly, glaring at the other men in turn.

It was Zack’s turn to look completely blown away. Another side of his little trooper brought to his attention by none other than Genesis Rhapsodos. He wasn’t mad about it, but he’d be damned if it was something he’d ever expected. Maybe he should have introduced Cloud to the trio of Firsts long ago because this was going far better than expected.

The show continued on without further incident. Cloud and Genesis discussed some of the petty details, commenting on various outfits and personalities, while the other three would occasionally weigh in with an opinion or a guess as to who would be kept to the end or would be eliminated early. During one of the commercial breaks, Angeal invited Cloud to examine the legendary buster sword he kept hanging in his room, and Cloud blushed but accepted. Zack made to follow, yet Sephiroth called him back.

“Zackary, let them be. It’ll be good for him to build trust with Angeal independently,” Sephiroth reminded, knowing full well that their exit into the bedroom had nothing to do with a buster sword.

“Yeah, I guess you’re right,” Zack admitted, slumping back into the sofa. He’d always wanted them to get along, in some capacity. Keeping them separate, while they both held an important place in his life, had been more stressful than he’d ever let on, but he’d never wanted to push either one.

“Zack? How are you doing with all this?” Genesis asked, his previous sarcasm and sass completely replaced by sincerity. It was never that he disliked the Second, just that their personalities didn’t quite click, like there was a missing catalyst.

Zack shrugged noncommittally. “I’m fine. Just trying to give Cloud whatever space he needs to figure out how he wants to handle it all. It would have been easier if he’d been an alpha, but life’s not always easy.”

Genesis and Sephiroth both nodded at that. Given their own atypical relationship, they could relate to some degree. They also knew Zack was never one to dig at difficult topics, opting to stay positive through distractions instead, and it seemed like Cloud wasn’t much of a talker to begin with.

“You can always reach out to us if either of you need anything. The same goes for Cloud. Especially while you’re both still adjusting,” the redhead offered.

Sephiroth nodded his agreement. “You have our numbers, Zackary. They aren’t just for work-related matters.”

Zack smiled appreciatively. “Thanks guys. You know, for mangy alphas, you’re pretty alright.”

Genesis scowled but knew it was only typical of Zack to break up the discomfort of a serious conversation by taking a playful jab at somebody. Which worked out for the best because it was at about that point that Cloud and Angeal rejoined the group, the former looking even paler than before with his face ever-so-slightly drawn in pain. With a click of the remote, Genesis paused the commercial so he wouldn’t miss a second of the show.

“Let me grab some popcorn, be right back,” he announced, ignoring the aggravated looks that suggested he should have done it earlier rather than force them all to wait now.

Cloud curled up against the arm of the couch, knees pulled in to try to relieve some of the dull aching. He supposed it was getting better, but it sure as hell didn’t feel great.

“What’d you think of that sword?” Zack asked, oblivious. “Massive isn’t it? And did you try to pick it up? It’s impossible to wield properly without enhancements.”

“Yeah, it’s pretty amazing,” Cloud lied. It probably was amazing. He just… hadn’t seen it.

After some popping and beeping noises echoed out of the kitchen, Genesis returned, two bowls of fragrant popcorn in hand. He sat down with one and shoved the other into Cloud’s hands.

“Wha?” Cloud asked, but accepted the bowl, feeling something heavy and warm wrapped around the dish.

“You looked like you could use some,” Genesis stated casually, but flicked his eyes pointedly to Cloud’s middle before taking a seat and pressing the play button.

With all attentions back on the television, Cloud peeled the item away from the bowl to discover that it was some sort of heating pad. He glanced briefly at Genesis, who caught his questioning gaze, cocked an eyebrow and barely nodded his head toward Cloud’s middle again. Finally taking the hint, the blond slid the packet of warmth low on his abdomen, and let out a breath of relief as the deep ache seemed to lessen. He was grateful because the pain really did subside, but that meant Genesis knew what had just happened. The tendrils of heat spreading through his abdomen were almost secondary to the hotness flashing across his cheeks.

Fortunately, Genesis didn’t mention anything out loud for the remainder of the show. Nor did anybody else, for that matter, though Cloud vaguely wondered if everybody knew about his personal situation of the evening. Once the contestants had been either eliminated or approved to move onto the next round, the show concluded, and everybody began to shift in their seats. Cloud wondered how he’d rid himself of the pack without making a fuss, but fortunately Genesis whisked everything away from him before he had the chance to think too much.

Belongings gathered and shoes donned, Zack and Cloud made their way to leave, offering their thanks and appreciation for the fun evening. Sephiroth, Angeal, and Genesis all followed them to the door, seemingly having enjoyed the night as much as the younger two.

“I’m not kidding, Cloud. I expect you to be here for future episodes,” Genesis instructed. “I won’t be left alone to discuss fashion and drama with those that don’t properly appreciate it. Oh! And here,” he added, grabbing for Cloud’s PHS. “Feel free to contact any of us should you need anything in the upcoming weeks. Questions, concerns, company, what have you. We’re all in your contacts list now.”

Cloud nodded a little dumbly, surprised at how smoothly everything had played out. “Thanks,” he mumbled and then followed Zack down the hall.

“You like him,” Sephiroth noted after the door had clicked shut.

“I wasn’t the one blatantly staring at him,” Genesis retorted, sniffing dismissively.

Angeal sighed, happy that the night had gone well, but now concerned that it had gone a little too well. “Cloud is in a committed relationship,” he reminded his bristling partners. “As are we. If he reaches out to either of you, you have my blessing, but you’ll still need one from each other and from Zack. They’re not in the same, established place that we are.” Despite the nods of agreement he received, Angeal couldn’t help but pray to whatever gods were left that this hadn’t been a mistake.


	5. Chapter 5

“So, what did you think of the guys?” Zack asked, plopping down on the couch to watch the chocobo racing qualifiers with Cloud. “I meant to ask when we got home last night, but…”

“But you were too busy teasing me about my ‘closet obsession’ with Midgar’s Most Eligible,” Cloud interrupted, scowling playfully at his boyfriend.

Zack grinned sheepishly and held his hands up. “Hey! I’m not _judging_. I just had no idea you were such a junkie for dramatic, over-produced reality television,” he said with a laugh. “But really, what’d you think?”

Cloud shrugged. “They’re nice,” he admitted. They were also as intimidating and impressive as they looked in all the posters and advertisements, but he wasn’t about to admit that out loud. “Sephiroth’s a little… intense, though.”

“Sorry about that,” the Second scratched at the back of his head. “He’s nice too, once you get to know him, but he can be a little shy and awkward until then. His upbringing wasn’t exactly normal.” He trailed off, not sure it was his story to tell.

Shy and awkward was something Cloud could relate to, normal upbringing or not, so he chose not to pry. He wondered if that was how he came off to other people, although maybe without the staring.

“We don’t have to go back, if you don’t want to,” Zack assured. “I mean, I know what Gen said, but you don’t have to listen to him. He can be kind of a dick sometimes, but he means well.”

Cloud snorted hard at that, threatening to spray soda through his nose. Commander Rhapsodos may have picked on _Zack_ , but he’d been perfectly pleasant to _Cloud_. “He was fine, Zack. At least he shares my interest in ‘dramatic, over-produced reality television.’” A rare grin of mischief crossed the blonde’s features. “Really, though, it’s okay. I had a nice time, and I’m up for going back. Besides, those little fancy cookie sandwiches Angeal made were awesome!”

“I think they’re called Mideelian macarons, Cloud. You might actually give Gen _and_ Ange heart attacks if you call them ‘fancy cookie sandwiches’.”

“Oh, well _excuse me_ for not being such a _worldly traveler,”_ Cloud jabbed back, knowing full well Zack was about as cultured as a Nibel wolf. He flicked one of the couch pillows at the Second, hitting him squarely in the face.

“Hey! At least I’m not resorting to dirty fighting tactics!” Zack joked, tossing the pillow back lightly. “By the way, I traded some shifts with Kunsel, so tomorrow I’m working a twenty-four. That way I can be with you for a couple days post mako treatment!”

Cloud smiled and pulled Zack in for a hug of thanks. Rumor had it, new SOLDIERs had to be kept under watch for 48 hours post-enhancement and were kept in the inpatient ward unless they had a responsible party to stay with. Being at Zack’s sounded infinitely better. “Damn,” Cloud teased. “I was hoping I’d get to spend a couple days adjusting to the supersensitive hearing before I had to listen to you snore all night.” The comment earned him a couple of fingers digging into his ribs. It was worth it.

That’s how things went for the next few days. Their evenings were full of light-hearted, playful conversations that skirted around anything uncomfortable. It was as though neither wanted to upset the other, a delicate dance around a sleeping marlboro that nobody wanted to wake. A routine of normalcy that they both clung to like it would keep them from drowning in a stormy sea.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

“Hey Cloud, you’re up,” Zack smiled and tapped him on the shoulder.

Cloud followed his partner down the now-recognizable path back to the exam rooms. As Angeal had promised, the process really had gotten less uncomfortable with each dose. _So_ much less uncomfortable, in fact, that he’d been grateful for the blanket covering his front during the last administration. He’d passed it off as a standard result of being barely twenty-one and full of pent-up energy (no intimate activities that risked disrupting the protocol and all that), but it would have been embarrassing had Angeal noticed anyway.

The experience had grown routine, the squeezing blood pressure cuff, the blanket draped loosely over his lap. Zack’s constant stream of idle chatter was a welcome addition this time, neither of them as awkwardly tense as when he’d reported for the exam with Hojo. Knowing it would be Angeal in the room obviously put them both at ease. Not that it kept Cloud from flinching at the knock on the door.

“Alright Cloud,” Angeal smiled. “Last step before SOLDIER. You ready?”

Zack grinned and tousled Cloud’s hair, annoyingly, as usual. “You bet he is!”

With a playful swat, the blonde shushed the Second but quickly turned serious. “Hold on. Angeal, how is this going to work?” he asked. He’d caught sight of a tray of equipment when he’d walked in, and he wasn’t feeling particularly great about what he’d seen.

“It’s a pretty quick procedure,” Angeal replied. “First, I’ll use this proctoscope to visualize the inside of your anterior passage,” he explained, holding up a cylindrical piece of metal with a blunted end and an attached handle.

Cloud’s eyes went wide. Yeah, Zack was more sizeable, but that did _not_ look in any way comfortable. He shifted uneasily, making the exam paper crinkle loudly beneath him.

Angeal must have noticed his expression. “I know it looks intimidating, but I’ll be as gentle as I can be,” he assured. “From there, I’ll take a brief measurement of your omega sac and then insert the contraceptive device. The whole process will probably take between five and ten minutes.”

“Omega sac?” Cloud didn’t quite realize he’d spoken aloud, still a little dazed by the explanation.

Zack scratched his head, face screwed up in thought for a better explanation. “Like… womb, I guess? It’s not quite the same. No bleeding or anything like that.”

Angeal chuckled at the Second’s haphazard explanation. “I apologize, Cloud. There’s still ongoing research about omega childbearing and reproductive physiology, so we can only share what we know. The entire developmental phenomenon is still too new for us to have all the answers, even with Genesis keeping on top of all the latest literature.”

Cloud nodded, the familiar feeling of anxiety beginning to take hold of his body. He leaned into Zack, who pulled him close. This was it, the last step before SOLDIER enhancements. If he could get through this, he would become Cloud Strife, SOLDIER Third Class in just a few more days.

“Okay,” he said, the wavering confidence clear in his voice. He was thoroughly grateful that Angeal had done so much to calm his nerves over the last week. Without that, and without Zack by his side, he wasn’t sure how he’d be handling this. “Just… let’s just do it,” he pleaded, afraid that too much hesitation would have him bolting out the door.

“Alright,” Angeal agreed. “We’ll do everything we can to make it as easy as possible, so try your best to trust us and follow our instructions. I’m going to have Zack get you into something called the ‘classic presentation’ position while I get things ready.”

Cloud was loath to leave the warmth and safety of his boyfriend’s embrace, but he let Zack pull away without protest. He’d feel better about whatever this ‘classic whatever position’ was if _Zack’s_ cheeks weren’t sporting a rare shade of pink.

“So, Cloud…” Zack hesitated, shifting a bit uncomfortably on his feet. “I, um. We want you to get on your hands and knees for this.”

“You _what?”_ Cloud yelped, not quite believing his ears. Side? Okay, he’d been doing that. Back? Not ideal, but he’d sort of expected it. _All fours?_ This had to be a cruel joke.

Zack was quick to bring a palm to Cloud’s shoulders, stifling his protest and drawing his full attention. “I know it’s awkward, babe, but it really does make everything easier. It’ll make more sense once you’re in… enhanced, but for now, just believe me.”

With eyes squeezed shut in frustrated disbelief, Cloud curled his hands into fists a few times. When he finally looked to Zack’s face, he was met with a sincere empathy that he couldn’t bring himself to fight against. Resigned, he shifted into the suggested position, grateful that he was at least covered for the moment. A pillow was slid beneath his chest and a palm pressed firmly to his shoulder. He didn’t even ask, just took the hint and lowered himself to his elbows. The less he thought about it all, the better. 

“Cloud, I’m going to get started now,” Angeal informed, moving the blanket to expose the trooper’s lower half. “You’ll feel me touch you at first, similar to the last few days. Are you ready?”

The answer was no. He wasn’t sure if he’d ever be ready for this, but he nodded anyway and felt Angeal’s slickened digit shortly after. Cloud relaxed against the gentle probing pressure, trying to focus on anything other than the fact that it felt better than he really wanted it to. Unfortunately, a few slow drags over a sensitive nerve bundle within had his body reacting much as it had the day before, and in this position, he knew he couldn’t hide it. A flush stole across his cheekbones. He was seriously going to get hard. In front of his boyfriend. With another man’s finger inside of him. On an exam table, no less. Great.

Zack either hadn’t noticed or chose not to acknowledge Cloud’s situation. Instead, he rubbed soothing circles between the blonde’s shoulder blades with just enough pressure to keep the smaller man bent forward.

“You’re doing great, Cloud,” Angeal soothed, removing his hand and swapping out a glove. “This might be cold at first, but try to stay relaxed for me.”

Cloud cringed at the knowledge of what was coming next. A cold bluntness, made colder by the wet gel it was coated in, nudged against his puckered ring of muscle. A warm hand wrapped around his hip, a reminder from Zack to hold still. He could feel the metal pressing into him, chilling even his insides, and he flinched away reflexively.

“It’s alright,” the officer crooned, pausing his advance. “Rather than fight it, why don’t you bear down against me instead. That should help it slide in.”

It wasn’t that Cloud was unaware. He wasn’t inexperienced, not since Zack, but the metal was so firm and unyielding, a new sensation that was making it difficult to think quite straight. With some effort, he was able to follow the advice he’d been given, and was rewarded with the device gliding deeper within. His cock twitched in traitorous interest, and when Angeal shifted the scope’s angle, he couldn’t keep a cross between whimper and moan from slipping past his lips. Humiliated, Cloud buried his face into the pillow beneath him, clutching it tightly as though he could somehow escape through it.

“Cloud, hey,” Zack coaxed. He ran his hand through blonde spikes, scratching lovingly at Cloud’s nape. “That’s _good_ , babe. You don’t have to be embarrassed. It happens sometimes. Happened to me, even.”

Whether Cloud _had_ to be or not was completely irrelevant to the fact that he absolutely _was._ He bit into his lip hard enough to taste the coppery tang of blood and wished for it all to be over. Another shift within, coupled with a hand pressing low on his abdomen had him squirming. He didn’t bring his face up from the pillow to see whose hand it was, too afraid that another sound building in his chest would make itself heard.

Removing a piece of the instrument so he could look through it, Angeal tried to calm the young man. ”Easy, Cloud. Try not to move. I’ve got the scope where I need it, so I’m going to take a quick measurement. This is where things can get uncomfortable,” he warned.

Cloud assumed he meant physically, because mentally, he wasn’t sure he could get much more uncomfortable. Suddenly, a deep ache lanced through the feelings of pleasure, shooting down into his balls and up into his spine. He tried to curl in on himself, but Zack’s hold prevented him from doing so.

“I’m sorry,” Angeal apologized warmly. “That doesn’t feel very good, I know. You’re almost done, I promise. Last bit.”

The ache hadn’t subsided yet, and Cloud tried to shift on his knees. Anything to rid himself of the pain that gripped him. At least it had killed off his arousal, he supposed. He felt Zack’s grip on him tighten just before somebody stabbed through his middle, as though something inside him had grown claws and pierced its way out. Though the sharpness was brief, it lasted long enough to make him cry out, long enough to make his head spin and his stomach lurch, before it died off to the prior ache.

“That’s it. You’re all done,” Angeal assured him, carefully withdrawing the metal scope and wiping the now quivering trooper off. “I’m going to step out, Cloud. Take your time getting dressed, and take it easy for the rest of the day. You did great.” He hesitated at the door, uncomfortable leaving the young omega in a distressed state, but knowing the pair would likely appreciate their privacy.

Finally, Cloud was left to draw his knees beneath him, and he curled into a tight ball, legs shaking. Zack wrapped him in a cozy embrace, letting him recover from the stress of the procedure, however brief it had been, in caring arms.

“You okay, buddy?” Zack asked after a few minutes, voice barely more than a whisper.

Golden spikes bobbed, and Cloud began to unwind himself from around the pillow as the pain gradually subsided to a dull misery. He was a little paler than he’d been when he walked in, with the slightest watery shadow at the corners of his eyes. Anxiety, embarrassment, pleasure, pain. They’d all flashed through him so quickly, and it left him feeling completely exhausted. He didn’t even argue when his boyfriend helped him to sit and then stand, untrusting of his own strength.

“Do you want me to take a break and walk you back to my place?” the midnight-haired Second offered.

“No, I’m alright,” Cloud mumbled, not wanting to be seem more pathetic than he’d already been.

“If you’re sure,” Zack shrugged, a little unsure. “I’ll be home early tomorrow morning, but if you need anything, Angeal said you could call him or either of his partners. Just kick your feet up for the rest of the day, okay? Watch a movie or play some games or something.”

Tugging his pants on, Cloud agreed. He was sure he wouldn’t feel up for much of anything anyway. Posture ever-so-slightly hunched, the blonde made his way out of medical, reminding himself that the next time he walked away from this department, he’d be SOLDIER.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

When Cloud reached Zack’s apartment, the first thing he did was flop onto the couch and indulge in a long nap, which he followed up with a few rounds of a chocobo racing game. It held his attention, but barely. He hadn’t realized just how much he’d come to rely on the playful banter and loving embraces of his relationship to distract him from the events of the week, both past and upcoming.

Now, he was faced with only solitude, silence, and his own thoughts, which centered around one thing. He was an omega. Today had been a stark reminder of that. And as an omega, he could never be Zack’s alpha. Yes, he was achieving his dreams to become a member of SOLDIER, but along the way, he’d developed new dreams. Dreams of forever. Dreams that could now be crushed.

What if Zack had only stayed with the hope that Cloud would present differently? If Cloud was going to have heats, and apparently he was, what would that mean for them? Would he spend the rest of his life fearing unwanted attention from alphas? He’d heard rumors of aggressive pursuit, though it sounded like Lazard was quick to intervene if he ever caught wind of it. And what would he tell his mom? ‘Hey, I left Nibelheim to become a SOLDIER, and now I’m a freak that can get knocked up?’ It wasn’t like the public was aware of the phenomenon. He’d never even heard of such things until his trooper bunkmates had filled him in on what they’d heard from friends and comrades. There were some things Shinra was incredibly tight-lipped about, and with the company’s wide-reaching influence, its secrets were never made known without prior approval.

If he kept this up, he was surely going to work himself into a panic attack. Scrolling idly through his PHS, he looked at Zack’s name. But Zack wouldn’t pick up. Well, maybe he would because Cloud usually didn’t call unless it was urgent, but he was _working_. Besides, this wasn’t an emergency. He just needed a distraction, something to occupy his time. Zack had said he could call Angeal, but no way in hell was he about to call the officer who’d inadvertently _turned him on_ during a procedure. Ugh, the mere thought had Cloud blushing a furious shade of scarlet.

He scrolled past another name, a newer entry to his embarrassingly short list of contacts. Maybe it wasn’t the best idea, but it probably couldn’t hurt. Right? At least, it couldn’t hurt any more than some of the thoughts that were plaguing his brain. No need for a call, though. That seemed needy, time-sensitive. A casual text would be better. No pressure, no urgency. He took a deep breath and typed out a quick message.

C: _Hey, Genesis. It’s Cloud. Watching an old season of Midgar’s Most Eligible, and I saw one of the finalists took Lux to Banora! Isn’t that where you said you’re from?_

Okay, he wasn’t actually watching it, but he remembered the episode. He hit send and set his PHS down to begin surfing through channels. Maybe he _would_ put an old season on. The memory of sitting around the television in Angeal’s living room snacking on fancy coo… _Mideelian macarons_ …brought a brief smile to his lips, and with it, a sliver of comfort. He was startled by a buzzing on the coffee table. It couldn’t be a response already. A full minute hadn’t even passed.

G: _I am, but that wasn’t actually Banora. It was a set, developed by poor researchers. How are you, Cloud? Angeal told me that you were on the schedule today for contraceptive placement. Do you need anything? I imagine you’re still tender._

Cloud almost dropped his PHS at the last few lines. Gods, couldn’t he just be humiliated privately? But now it’d be rude if he didn’t respond. Maybe he could just ignore it, pull the conversation away from personal topics.

C: _It was? How did you know? They were outside for less than 2 minutes!_

G: _The Banoran apple trees pictured ALL had fruit on them. True Banoran apple trees never bloom and fruit all at once. They’re called dumbapples because they each produce fruit at random, unrelated times._

Whew. Awkwardness averted.

G: _And you didn’t answer my questions. You do realize I read omegan research and literature, yes? I have a fair bit of insight about what you’re going through, even if I’ve never gone through it myself. Now. How are you, and do you need anything?_

Or not.

C: _I’m fine. And no._

Okay, perhaps that wasn’t overly polite or friendly. Actually, maybe it was downright rude.

C: _Thank you for asking, though._

There. That was marginally better. Although, it was still possible that he and Zack would no longer be welcome for weekly show viewings with the trio of Firsts. He suspected Genesis was one to anger quickly and hold grudges for ages. Frustrated with himself for making his situation worse, Cloud walked away to grab a soda and berate himself. Maybe he shouldn’t have reached out to anybody. When he returned to the couch, he’d missed a call and had three new messages.

G: _What about company? Angeal says Zack is working overnight in order to be with you after your enhancements._

G: _Cloud?_

G: _Fine. Answer the door when I knock. I’m not one to be ignored._

 _Shit!_ Cloud had expected silence, not… this. He tried to scurry to pick up the messy apartment, but his movements were slow, his posture still hunched. As much as it sucked to admit it, Genesis had been right about him still being tender. At least the worst of the clutter was hidden by the time a knock sounded at the door.

“Well, which season are we watching?” Genesis asked as soon as he could nudge his way past the doorframe.

“Uh…” Cloud was borderline speechless. 

“Fourth it is,” the auburn-haired man declared, walking in and dropping himself onto the sofa as though he belonged there. “The catty drama between Eva and Serenity is unsurpassed thus far, though I suspect the current season might hold some extra spice. And yes, I’d love a sparkling water if you have any. Thank you.”

Stunned, the blonde hesitated in the entryway, completely at a loss for how to handle the situation. He’d gone from alone and wallowing in his own self-pity to surprised by the casual, yet demanding, presence of one of Shinra’s commanders in… twenty minutes? Reeling, Cloud made his way to the refrigerator to scrounge for the requested beverage before joining Genesis, who’d already pulled up the correct season.

For the first episode, it was as though nothing had transpired at all. Like they were back at Angeal’s place, watching the season premiere together, almost surreal in its normalcy. Of course, Genesis being Genesis, that didn’t last long.

“Cloud, forgive me for my bluntness, but why is it that you shut down when anybody references your presentation?” Genesis kept his eyes trained on the screen, despite his question, as though he knew his gaze would be too direct for the trooper.

“I…” Cloud hesitated, not entirely sure of his answer. “I don’t know.” It was honest, at least. He was too worn out to lie. “I feel like I’m going through some sick version of puberty again in my godsbedamned twenties, when it seems like things were only just going right. I don’t know what the hell to expect, what’s going to happen to me, to my relationship. I just… I just wanted to be in SOLDIER.” His reply startled even himself, true though it was.

Genesis snickered, unable to suppress the reaction. “Well, I suppose that’s certainly one way to look at it,” he laughed, having never heard it phrased quite that way before. “You realize that you are _in_ a relationship with another omega, yes? You could perhaps _ask_ what to expect?”

Cloud blushed. Yeah. He knew that. He just… “Zack’s never talked about any of that before. If it weren’t for him spending a few days at Angeal’s every couple of months, I wouldn’t even know. It’s like he doesn’t _want_ me to know, so why would I ask him?”

The auburn-haired First sighed deeply. “Perhaps he doesn’t wish to make you uncomfortable, Cloud, since you tend to get a little prickly about it anytime the very word ‘omega’ comes up.” The glare he received was a perfect example. “Don’t pout at me because I’m right. That said, I have a wealth of books available if you’d find that preferable.”

“No, I…” Cloud stuttered, still feeling incredibly awkward and caught off-guard. “Maybe if you want to bring one to the next MME watch party, that would be fine.” It was as close to a ‘yes, please” as he could offer. He just wasn’t used to being addressed so _directly_. Genesis certainly didn’t hold back about _anything_.

Another short while passed, this time in a more comfortable silence, but something was itching at Cloud. It was a wound that had festered, but that he’d been intent to keep bandaged and out of sight like it would somehow go away if he didn’t have to acknowledge it.

“Genesis… why isn’t Zack with you and Angeal and Sephiroth?” The question slipped out without thought, a prisoner escaping from a cage. It was a question that had been nagging hard at the back of his mind, something he’d been trying to ignore for days. Uttering it aloud let him drop a weight he didn’t even realize he’d been carrying.

Genesis hummed thoughtfully, trying to come up with the simplest way to explain a complex situation. “Honestly, Cloud, it was something we talked about early on, when Zack and Angeal first trialed their current arrangement. The problem we ran into was that Sephiroth and I didn’t have the same connection with him, nor he with us, that Angeal did. We still don’t. There would have to be some kind of catalyst, something or someone else to link us to Zack, in order for it to work.”

Cloud nodded, only half-understanding. The whole thing sounded… complicated. It didn’t exactly put his mind at peace, but at least it was something to go on. Some small comfort that Zack wouldn’t just ditch him to run off with the others now that he knew Cloud’s future. Chewing over that bit of information, he returned his attention to the rerun playing across the screen.

Doubly exhausted between the events of the day and Genesis…being Genesis, it wasn’t long before Cloud could feel himself drifting part-way through one of the episodes. His eyelids were just too heavy to struggle against, the stress of earlier leaving him completely devoid of energy. He wasn’t entirely sure when he fell asleep, only that, when he woke, there was an empty apartment, a blanket tucked snugly around him and a glass of water on the coffee table.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, some chapters are more difficult to bring together than others. I've got probably one more to build from scratch. Then, the next few are basically done and ready to go. Because who writes things in order? *Face palm* To those that have read this far, THANK YOU!


	6. Chapter 6

Cloud woke up to his PHS warking insistently at him and had to break out of Zack’s very warm, very comfortable embrace to silence the alarm. This was it. Today was the day, a threshold which, once crossed, could never be uncrossed.

The last couple of days had been surreal. He hadn’t seen any of the Firsts again, though Genesis had texted him daily just to check in on him. Cloud had learned his lesson and responded _promptly_ to any of those messages ever since the unexpected guest situation. When he’d asked Zack if that was normal behavior for the commander, Zack had assured him that patience was _not_ one of Genesis’s virtues, especially when it came to worrying over a friend. Cloud secretly suspected it was a Zack-fueled team effort to keep an eye on him, but he appreciated what had transpired anyway.

Yesterday, after yet another solitary shift guarding one of the elevator towers, he’d handed in his trooper uniforms. Well, he’d handed in _most_ of his trooper uniforms. It was entirely possible that he’d kept one, knowing full well that Zack had a bit of a thing for the way Cloud looked in it. Likely, nobody would ever notice, and if they did, they’d chalk up the missing articles to casualties of the job.

Zack pulled him back down to the mattress with a playful groan, yanking the comforter up over their heads to block out whatever light was filtering in through the blinds. “Noooooo, just a few more minutesssss,” he teased sleepily as he wrapped around Cloud like a zolom constricting its prey.

“Zaaaaaack,” Cloud whined back in the same silly tone while he squirmed against the hold. “You _know_ I have to get ready!”

“I know, I know,” Zack agreed, pressing a few kisses into the mess of blond spikes. “Gotta get ready to be transformed into my big strong SOLDIER.”

Cloud could feel the ridiculous grin pressing against his scalp even though he couldn’t see it and rolled his eyes dramatically. “Oh my gods, Zack, don’t _say_ things like that,” he laughed.

After Zack gave another full-body squeeze, he allowed the smaller man to wriggle free. “Fine,” he sighed, feigning exasperation as he tossed the sheets back. “You go ahead and get ready, and I’ll make… Well, not breakfast, I guess. You’re not supposed to eat anything solid, but I’ll mix up that vitamin stuff you’re supposed to drink.”

With a warm smile, Cloud leaned in to place a loving peck against his boyfriend’s lips. He tried to catalogue each moment, to actively remember every warm touch of this sleepy morning, scared that it may be his last chance to create mental snapshots he never wanted to forget. His eyes stung as he pulled away and headed off to the bathroom.

Scalding water streamed over him while he showered, and he scrubbed at himself harshly, trying to burn away fears and melt his anxiety. Instead, all he managed to do was drown out the sound of his heartbeat pulsing in his ears. He wondered if he would feel different the next time he showered. Would he _feel_ stronger? Faster? Would the water feel hotter or colder or more intense? This wouldn’t be like joining the infantry, where the dosing was miniscule, the changes barely noticeable. This would change the way he functioned, the way he _existed_.

He tried to shut his mind off, reminding himself there was no use worrying about a decision he’d already made, while he toweled himself dry. A ping from his PHS interrupted his efforts to coax his hair into something manageable. If Zack was trying to tease him from the kitchen through a text…

_Sephiroth: Good luck today, Cloud. Welcome to SOLDIER. We’ll be glad to have you in our ranks._

Cloud stared, mouth gaping, at the device in his hand. He’d figured Zack was pestering him or that maybe he was being notified of a change to his appointment time. Never had he imagined it would be a message from _General Sephiroth_. Yet, there was only one Sephiroth in his phone, and it was the one Genesis had entered the night they’d all met at Angeal’s. The chances of it being a mistake were slim. With shaking fingers, he typed out a reply.

_C: Thank you, sir. Looking forward to joining._

That seemed both grateful and professional, the kind of reply that would be expected. Or was he even supposed reply at all? Was he supposed to be formal and acknowledge rank in a message? Cloud really wasn’t sure of the protocol for this. Either way, the message was sent, and there were bigger things to worry about today. The feeling of surprise kept with him while he dressed. It seemed odd to be reporting to any orders in civilian attire, but Zack had warned him not to wear anything special, that he’d just end up in a gown anyway. Another ping sounded from his PHS, and a name that was growing increasingly familiar flashed across the screen.

_Genesis: How are you doing, Cloud? I know you receive your enhancement treatments today._

Cloud debated between honesty and the usual “fine,” but settled on something closer to the former.

_C: A little nervous, but I think I’m ready._

_G: You ARE ready, Cloud, and you will do well. Please, get in touch or have Zack call me if you need anything during your recovery or after. Good luck today._

Zack was right. Even if Genesis “could be kind of a dick sometimes,” he really did seem to mean well, and Cloud found himself smiling down at the screen.

_C: Thanks Genesis. Set the new episode to record just in case I’m not recovered enough in time to watch it air live._

_G: Consider it done._

It made him feel a little bit better to know that a scrap of normalcy, albeit a newer normalcy, would be waiting for him when this was over, some modicum of consistency that he could cling to in the otherwise unknown future. With that in mind, Cloud looked at himself in the mirror for what might be the last time as an unenhanced human, and made his way to Zack in the kitchen.

“Okay, I know it looks toxic,” Zack warned, handing Cloud a bottle of murky, greenish liquid. “But it’s really not that bad. The vitamins and minerals in it help sustain your body through the stress of the enhancement protocol, so drink up. Bottle number two is in the fridge.”

Cloud made a disgusted face at the concoction, but took it anyway. “Fine,” he grumbled. “Just leave the bathroom door unlocked in case I need to hurl while you’re showering.”

As it turned out, Zack was right about the beverage too. It wasn’t _bad_ , the flavor a little sickeningly sweet from chemically engineered sugar alternative, but he wasn’t particularly excited about having to drink down _both_ bottles. Still, he suspected it wasn’t the worst thing he’d encounter today, so he chugged it dutifully and was finishing off the last drops when Zack re-emerged, dressed in a set of navy scrubs.

“I thought you didn’t have to work today,” Cloud pondered aloud, gesturing at the outfit.

Zack grinned sheepishly. “I thought they’d let me stay with you longer if I looked the part. You ready?”

Cloud smiled back and grabbed Zack’s hand, donning the same mask of faux-confidence that he’d worn so many times over the past week. “Yeah. I’m ready.”

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

The waiting room felt more ominous than usual today, the chairs more uncomfortable, the walls more stifling. Cloud didn’t realize how tightly he’d been gripping Zack’s hand until he had to let go in order to sign the final consent forms. “Sorry,” he murmured quietly, though he knew he didn’t have the strength to injure Zack. Yet, anyway.

“Don’t be,” Zack replied, rubbing gently between Cloud’s shoulder blades. _All_ candidates had some degree of nerves surrounding the enhancement process. The whole ordeal was largely secretive, almost nothing shared with the general public. Waivers and consent forms listed all kinds of possible horrendous outcomes, including irreversible mako-induced comas and death. Becoming SOLDIER wasn’t for the faint of heart.

A familiar face greeted them from the side door. “Cloud? Zack? You two can come on back,” Angeal called, waving them over. He’d traded off his field mission to Sephiroth so that he’d be available for Cloud’s enhancement and recovery period, much as he’d ensured his clinic schedule was clear for the day, barring any emergencies. Zack had been hiding his anxiety well, but Angeal had seen the cracks forming in the Second’s façade of easygoingness, had smelled the harsh tang of worry intensifying as today had approached.

Cloud took a deep breath and let it out quickly, trying to quiet the butterflies in stomach. This was fine. This was everything he’d worked for. This was what he wanted. When he made it to the door, he was surprised by the heavy weight of Angeal’s arm settling around his shoulders.

“Welcome to SOLDIER, Cloud,” the officer grinned at him as he guided the pair down a hallway that the trooper had never been down before.

A delicate shade of pink tinged the blonde’s features, a vivid memory of his last encounter with Angeal crossing his mind. He tried to focus on the rest of his surroundings, shocked that his brain could even dredge up such thoughts when he was so nervous. The result of being young with an excess of energy, he supposed, as he followed along a short maze of corridors. When they came upon an elevator rather than an exam room, his features twisted with confusion.

“Enhancements are done in the labs, which are technically down one floor” Zack explained with a shrug.

_That_ certainly didn’t make Cloud feel any better. Medical was one thing, but the labs were a place that people only talked about in hushed voices. Few troopers were given assignments there, and even fewer shared any details. They stepped inside the elevator, which clearly connected only three places - labs, outpatient medical, and inpatient ward.

“Cloud, as long as you’re stable enough post-treatment today, I’ve convinced them to release you into my care rather than send you to the inpatient ward. Obviously, you can stay at Zack’s, but I’ll need regular updates on your progress and may stop by if it seems necessary,” Angeal informed them. He didn’t explain exactly how much convincing had been necessary, but the younger pair seemed edgy enough without that tidbit of information.

“Thanks, Angeal!” Zack beamed, throwing his arms around the larger man in an insuppressible burst of gratitude.

“Yeah, thank you, Angeal,” Cloud echoed, though he skipped the energetic hug, still feeling a little awkward.

“You’re both more than welcome. But if you need closer monitoring, there’s nothing I can do,” he explained as metallic doors slid open to reveal the cold, dark hallways of the labs.

Cloud’s heart thudded hard against his ribs as Angeal showed him into a room. The exam rooms in medical looked warm and welcoming compared to this room. Here, the floors were dark and the lights harsh. A set of monitors, currently off, were fixed to one wall. Instead of a standard exam bed, there was a black, padded table in the center of the room with arm boards extending on either side. Thick leather straps were plentiful, clearly meant to hold a body in place. 

The disgustingly sweet vitamin mixture from earlier suddenly threatened to purge itself from Cloud’s stomach.

“Babe, Angeal and I will step out while you get changed, alright?” Zack said, pointing at a folded green gown on the countertop. “Put all your clothes in the plastic bag, and just shout for us when you’re done.”

Cloud looked to where Zack pointed and then looked back to his boyfriend. He could feel his breath drawing quicker, his eyes growing hot, his throat getting tight. On an impulse, he threw his arms haphazardly around the raven-haired Second and buried his face in the man’s chest. 

Now that the moment was here, he was _scared_. When he’d joined Shinra’s military, he felt like he’d had nothing to lose. Now, he was terrified that he was risking _everything_.

“Aw, Cloud,” Zack murmured, his own voice catching in his throat. “It’s gonna be okay, babe. _You’re_ going to be okay. We’ll get through this.”

It sounded like a plea rather than a promise, and Cloud clutched even closer, afraid to let go. His chest heaved once in a silent sob that he barely kept from breaking loose. Every emotion he’d been pushing down over the last few days was threatening to bubble over at once, and he didn’t dare speak for risk of losing whatever fragile control he had left.

Angeal, who’d been standing quietly by the door, cleared his throat uncomfortably. While he wanted to give the two far more time than he could offer them, he also knew that this was technically lab staff territory and that he and Zack weren’t _exactly_ supposed to be here.

Regretfully, Zack extricated himself from Cloud’s desperate hold, blinking furiously. “You’ve gotta change, Cloud. We’ll be right outside when you’re ready.”

As soon as the door was closed, Cloud ripped his shirt off and scrubbed his face with it, wiping away whatever moisture had collected and trying to get ahold of himself. He’d wanted to maintain a much stronger front, to make Zack believe he was okay even though he wasn’t. There was no going back. He’d signed the papers. He’d agreed to this. None of this was a surprise. He repeated it like a mantra over and over while he slipped into the cheap fabric of the gown.

Meanwhile, Angeal offered Zack an affectionate squeeze on the other side of the door.

“He’s strong, Zack. All of his records look good,” he assured the distressed omega. The aroma of fear pheromone was starting to get to him, and he was fighting the urge to quell his own empathetic anxiety. Thank the gods Cloud wasn’t fully matured and producing scents of his own yet. The two worked up together would be enough to give any alpha fits. “He’s going to make it through this.”

Zack nodded. “I know. It’s just…”

His train of thought was interrupted as one of the lab technicians approached them, a severe-looking woman with her hair pulled back into a tight bun. 

“I don’t believe either of you are supposed to be here. Is the specimen prepared?” Her tone was disapproving and accusatory, but she didn’t tell them to leave. Yet.

“He was just getting settled into a gown,” Angeal explained calmly, relieved to hear Cloud call out from the far side of the door. “But I believe he’s ready for you. We were just going to wish him well and be on our way back to general medical.”

The woman pursed her lips unpleasantly. “Fine, but when the professor arrives, you’ll need to leave immediately.”

Zack shuddered involuntarily. He hated the lab staff. Honestly, he was pretty sure _everyone_ hated the lab staff. If both he _and_ Angeal were unable to coax even a small smile out of somebody, it was likely they were simply incapable of smiling. Or warmth, or gentleness, for that matter. Oddly, that seemed to include every single member of the uptight white-coat-wearing group. Maybe lack of compassion was in the job description.

Cloud froze at the sight of a no-nonsense woman, dressed in lab attire, crossing the threshold, trailed by the two men he’d been expecting. Time was warping, both speeding up and slowing down at once, and it left him reeling.

“Cloud Strife?” The woman asked, eyes peering at him like he was nothing more than a rat in a cage.

Blond spikes bobbed while he tried to meet gazes with Zack. He already didn’t like this woman, as bitter cold and clinical as Hojo himself.

“Reporting for initiation into SOLDIER Third Class,” she read off of a tablet, barely waiting for confirmation. “Lay back, arms out to the sides,” the woman barked. She never bothered to introduce herself, apparently too focused on the task at hand.

Stunned by the frigid attitude, Cloud complied without question, resting his body against the cold table and extending his arms. Various monitors were applied to his body, chilly stickers on his chest, a clip to his finger, a cuff around his arm. He heard Angeal politely offer to “make use of himself” off to his left, and saw Zack approach him from his right. 

“Almost there, Cloud,” Zack smiled, despite his voice cracking and his eyes shimmering with moisture.

The trooper took his partner’s hand tightly, shaking while his limbs and torso were strapped firmly against the table. “Zack… I…” It was all he could manage before he bit into his lip to stem the flow of more pathetic sounds.

“I know, Cloud. I know. Me too,” Zack choked out for them both, pressing a kiss to the blonde’s forehead.

Cloud jerked away, or tried to, from the sensation of rubber biting into his left bicep. He was too close to the brink of panic, scared and helpless, hyperaware of every sound and touch. 

“It’s alright, Cloud,” crooned Angeal with a strange vibration to his voice. “You keep looking at Zack. I’m just starting your IV line. You’re okay.”

“He’s good at it. Better than any of the lab techs, I promise.” Zack gave a watery laugh and wrapped his arms around Cloud as best he could, pressing his face into the crook of the trooper’s neck. “I wish I could stay with you for everything.”

“I wish you could too,” Cloud hissed as a needle pushed into his vein, followed by the dull sting of the IV sliding into place. He also wished that he could return Zack’s embrace, but his limbs were trapped by the restraints. Instead, he nuzzled into the dark spikes, sniffling quietly.

A huff of displeasure sounded from the doorway, and Cloud’s blood ran cold.

“I don’t recall signing off on any additional company being present for this enhancement,” sneered Hojo.

“We were just seeing that he got settled, professor,” Angeal explained placidly while he grasped Zack’s forearm. “Now that he is, we’ll be heading back to the medical floors.”

“Just let me stay with him,” Zack pleaded tearfully, clearly beginning to unravel. “He shouldn’t have to do this alone.”

“Zack, we have to go,” Angeal reminded firmly.

“It’s okay, Zack. I’ll see you after, right?” Cloud whispered out, though he wanted nothing more than for his boyfriend to stay.

The Second seemed unwilling to give up his place plastered across the trooper’s restrained chest, but Angeal gave him no choice, practically dragging Zack away and out of the room. When the door closed behind them, Cloud squeezed his hands into fists and tried to swallow his fears.

“Ah, yes, our newest omega,” Hojo drawled as he strung up a bag of vibrant green fluid and connected the line to Cloud’s IV. He wore an eerie smile beneath his glasses, a warped grin that spoke of malice and nefariousness.

Monitors beeped above the blonde’s head, tapping out the staccato cadence of his racing heart. The unfriendly technician entered data into her tablet without any apparent thought for the actual _person_ strapped to the table before her. Panic set in, and Cloud began to tug against the restraints, ready to run from the nightmare he had walked into. He regretted his decision. He wanted out.

But it was too late.

“Now, now,” the greasy-haired scientist crooned, programming a pump and setting the mako mixture into motion through Cloud’s vessels. “Don’t waste all your energy so soon. You’ve got a long day ahead of you.”

Fire coursed through Cloud’s body, a molten inferno that seemed to burn him from the inside out. It started in his arm, but followed quickly to his chest, where his heart accepted the toxic magma and pumped it everywhere else. He screamed so hard that his throat hurt, or would have hurt had such minor pains even registered over the agony that overtook him. The beeping above his head grew rapid and chaotic, and his heart felt as though it would explode. Perhaps he was having a reaction to the mako, a heart attack maybe. Perhaps this what it was like to die. 

If he died, he hoped Zack would be okay. That was his last cogent thought before he lost consciousness.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Angeal guided Zack quickly back to the general medical floor, where he ducked them into an empty exam room. The Second was distressed beyond measure, and Angeal couldn’t resist the instinctive urge to soothe any longer.

“Zack, it’s okay,” he whispered softly, sitting on the exam bed and pulling the sobbing form into his lap. It was a bit of an awkward fit, Zack not being _that_ much smaller than he was, but he made it work. Anything to bring some peace to the omega who bore his mark.

For a while, he held the head of spiky black hair to his chest, thrumming quietly beneath his breastbone and lightly scenting the smaller man with pheromones of his own. He rubbed a thumb gently over Zack’s marked gland, which he knew would evoke a feeling of belonging and acceptance. They’d debated the mark last heat, worried that, depending on how Cloud presented, it would irritate the fresh SOLDIER and drive a wedge between the young couple. Now, he was grateful Zack had agreed to it because he needed every calming tactic at his disposal. He hadn’t seen the bubbly personality so tormented since… ever.

“I wanted to be strong for him,” the Second heaved, barely intelligible between sobs.

The burly alpha hummed in acknowledgement and began to massage the knots of tension that had spread through the younger man’s back and shoulders. He understood the sentiment. It was never easy for him when Zack received a set of enhancements. If he were being honest, he dreaded the day Zack would be promoted to First. Just because they had firm relationship boundaries, didn’t mean his feelings for the omega were obsolete.

“I don’t know what I was thinking, Angeal,” Zack hiccupped as the frantic crying slowed.

“What do you mean?” Angeal questioned, still holding him close.

“I don’t know if I did the right thing. I kept trying to take his mind off it all rather than really talking to him about things, and now I feel like he’s gone into this so blindly.” Fresh tears rolled down tanned cheeks with the guilty admission, fat drops of liquid regret that burned all the way down.

Angeal nodded in understanding and wiped away the wet trails. “Zack, you’re both adults. You _both_ made the decision about whether or not you wanted to discuss the process. He could have started the conversation as easily as you. Besides, there’ll be plenty of time to talk through things. I’m sure he’ll have a lot of questions as he adjusts.”

“But what if he doesn’t make it?” Zack erupted into another wave of despair, shoulders shaking and chest heaving. Not everybody survived the enhancement process, after all. The warnings and waivers weren’t just for show. 

“He’s an omega, Zack,” Angeal reasoned in hopes that logic would break through the paralyzing anxiety. This had clearly been building for longer than the Second had let on, maybe for longer than the Second had _realized_ , judging by the intensity of the reaction. “I highly doubt Hojo would risk losing an omega to a mismanaged mako treatment. They aren’t common enough to risk losing.” 

“How long is his treatment scheduled for?” Zack sniffled.

Angeal hesitated. This was why it had taken so much convincing to allow Cloud to be released into his care. But there was no way to lie about it, not with Zack counting every second that ticked by.

With a heavy sigh, he admitted, “Cloud has a four hour infusion and a two hour submersion today.”

“Wait, _WHAT?”_ the omega exclaimed, pulling away in shock. “That’s too much! That’s alpha dosing, maybe even Second class!”

“I looked at his results myself,” Angeal assured. “Cloud’s bloodwork showed very unusual mako tolerance for an omega. His body can handle it, but his recovery isn’t going to be easy. There’s a chance he’ll need to stay in medical for a few days.”

“No! Ang, we have to go back. We have to go get him,” Zack begged, lunging for the door. None of this was worth it. Not if he would risk losing Cloud.

Angeal caught him before he could get a hand on the knob. “ _Zackary_ ,” he growled, infusing his voice with dominance in a way that made them both uncomfortable. “SOLDIER is Cloud’s dream, and you cannot take that from him, much as I couldn’t take yours from you. Now, we can either go back to my apartment and wait, or we can wait right here. Which would you rather?”

Letting loose a frustrated noise, Zack hung his head in defeat. “We’ll wait here. I don’t want to waste any time getting to him once he’s released.”

So they waited. And waited. And waited. Each minute seemed to pass slower than the last. Zack let himself be held and soothed for short periods of time, but spent longer intervals pacing and squatting and otherwise nervously fidgeting. Angeal tried to calm him, to scent him, to thrum at him. It worked to some degree, well enough, at least, to keep Zack’s distress from calling every alpha on the floor to come to his aid. The First wished he’d brought one of the omega’s favorite nesting blankets to wrap him in, but he hadn’t anticipated the normally even-tempered man reacting quite so strongly, hadn’t expected him to become almost feral in his response.

Entire days seemed to have passed by the time Angeal’s PHS finally buzzed. When he flipped it open, his expression was grim.

“Stay here,” he instructed firmly. “I’ll return shortly. Do _not_ leave this room.”

Zack’s heart flipped, threatening to come to a halt entirely. “Angeal, what’s wrong?”

“Nothing’s _wrong_ , Zack. I just need to evaluate Cloud and discuss whether or not he’s in a condition to leave the facility.” It wasn’t precisely a lie. There would be a discussion of sorts, one he hoped to come out on top of.

“He’s done then? How is he? Is he conscious? Did something happen?” Words were pouring out of the young man’s mouth faster than Angeal could process them.

“ _Zack, calm down._ I am going to investigate all of those things right now. I will be back shortly, and we will either take Cloud home or visit him on the inpatient floor depending on what I find out.” He was loath to leave Zack alone with the way the omega was pouring off the scent of anxiety again, and debated paging Kunsel to come sit with him. One of his own partners would be preferable, but with Sephiroth on a field mission and Genesis training a group of Thirds, they were both out of the question. Instead, he held Zack close one more time, scenting him liberally as a precautionary measure.

“ _Okay_ , Angeal,” Zack grumbled, pulling free. “I definitely reek of you enough that nobody else is going to step foot in here while you’re gone. Just, _please_ , go find out about Cloud.”

Angeal pinked slightly, caught red-handed in his possessiveness, and hurried off to the inpatient ward on the floor above.

Zack paced. He flipped through his PHS. He bounced on the balls of his feet. He counted seconds and breaths and heartbeats. He reassured himself at least thirty times that, if Angeal was going to assess Cloud, then at least Cloud had survived the enhancement process, and that was a positive thing. Ten minutes. Fifteen minutes. The longer time dragged on, the more worried he became.

Finally, the doorknob turned, and he held his breath.

“Zack,” Angeal said quietly, almost placatingly as he cracked the door. “I’ve got him right here, but I need you to take a deep breath and settle down first, okay?

Zack felt like his stomach dropped into his feet at the words. He could smell mako wafting through the door, harsh and chemical. He could smell illness and pain.

“Angeal?” he managed to choke out, but he couldn’t bring himself to ask.

“We talked about this, Zack. It was an intense treatment. He’s okay, but he’s going to be very sick for a little while. Are you sure you want to do this?”

Tears threatened to break loose yet again, but this time Zack held them back. He’d said he wanted to be strong, that he didn’t want Cloud to go through this without him. He’d meant it. “Yeah, Angeal. I want him home with me.”

Strengthened with resolve, he swallowed the hot lump in his throat, and opened the door.

Cloud looked awful.

Blond spikes clung limply to his face, drooping with sweat and gods only knew what else. He was deathly pale, the only color to him the dark circles under his eyes and the angry red splotches where mako had burned him. An occasional quiet moan slipped between his lips, but he was otherwise unresponsive, slumping limply in a wheelchair. Fluids dripped steadily through IV tubing, connected somewhere beneath the blanket he was tucked into.

“Shit,” Zack breathed. “Cloud?”

“He hasn’t responded to anybody yet, Zack,” Angeal informed softly. “But he’s moved enough that they don’t believe he’s in a true coma. I’ve convinced them to release him to me under the condition that I bring him back if his status doesn’t improve within twenty-four hours. He’ll need total care in the meantime.”

Zack nodded. He could do that. He’d done it on the inpatient floor before with men he barely knew. For Cloud, he would do anything. “Let’s get him out of here, Angeal,” he said, voice shaky. “He should wake up somewhere safe.”

“I think he’d appreciate that,” the officer agreed, beginning the trek to Zack’s apartment. “He’s lucky to have you Zack. As am I.”


	7. Chapter 7

“Z..c?” Cloud’s voice was weak, his mouth too dry for him to work out all the sounds. He had no idea how long he’d been unconscious for, his brain muddled with hazy memories of pain and suffocation and mako. His eyelids were so heavy that it was hard to focus, but he thought it was the shape of his boyfriend slumped against the bed. He tried again with only marginal success. “Zack?” Barely a whisper, but it was enough.

Zack’s head shot up, his face full of alarm, like he had fallen asleep in the middle of class and been caught by a particularly strict teacher. “Cloud? Cloud! Oh, thank Gaia, you’re awake!”

Cloud winced. Zack’s voice thundered loudly in his ears, making him feel each individual vibration of his eardrums in a terribly painful way. Why in the promised land was he shouting like that?

Zack silently berated himself before dropping his voice several decibels. “Sorry Cloud, the enhancements are a bit of an adjustment.” He leaned forward to press a feather-light kiss to the pale, sweaty forehead before him, unable to contain his own relief. “I’m so happy you’re awake. I… I was worried about you.”

Cloud smiled, or at least tried to. Something had woken him from his fitful sleep. A need. _Damnit._ A rather basic need that he wasn’t sure he’d be able to attend to himself. Maybe if Zack would just help him get there. He tried to work a little saliva into his mouth. And to stop the room from moving. The room _really_ needed to stop moving. “Zack… I… b…room.” He hoped he got his point across, as pathetic as it was. He didn’t want to wet the bed like some incapable child.

“Babe? I’m sorry, I couldn’t hear you.”

Using what felt like every ounce of effort he could muster, Cloud tried to gesture in the direction of the bathroom.

“Oh… need to use the bathroom?” Zack clarified.

If he’d had the energy, Cloud would have blushed in embarrassment at his predicament, but he most certainly didn’t. Instead, he just nodded his head miserably.

Zack blushed for the both of them, a rare sight. “Oh uhhh… you don’t though. But I know it probably feels like it.” He stumbled over his words, awkward and rambling. “Um… but now that you’re awake, Angeal said I could take that out. One sec…”

“Wha…” Cloud barely managed to get even that much out, but it was too late. The chair next to the bed was already empty. Loud noises echoed from the bathroom, and an ungodsly bright light spilled through the open door, bright enough to make his eyes water and his head spin. He squeezed his eyes shut to block out the miserable sensations. At least, given the racket, it seemed like Zack had gotten the message, even if his words hadn’t quite matched. He tried to breathe deeply in hopes that it would dull his headache and steady his spinning surroundings.

After a few more moments, the covers around Cloud’s middle ruffled, and he jolted in response, eliciting a wave of nausea. He forced his eyelids open and saw Zack, who was busily working beneath the blankets, very deliberately not making eye contact. Why was he shoving a towel… _Oh._ A burning urgency surged through Cloud’s pelvis as Zack somehow touched him without _actually_ touching him _._ Whatever his boyfriend had jostled was incredibly tender, and Cloud tensed in response. Suddenly, the cryptic words were beginning to make sense.

“Hey Cloud?” Zack offered hesitantly. “I’m uh. Well, yeah.” The uncharacteristic embarrassment lacing his voice would have been incredibly endearing except that Cloud felt too terrible to register it. “I’m going to take your catheter out, and it’s probably not going to feel great. It’ll only take a couple seconds though, I promise.” The raven-haired Second steeled himself for a task he’d carried out before many times during shifts in the medical wing, ridiculing his mind for its strange anxiety response to this whole situation. Apparently, a familiar situation added to a familiar person somehow equaled a bizarre and incredibly uncomfortable experience. Maybe that was why Angeal refused to participate in any procedures concerning Sephiroth or Genesis. Regardless, Zack didn’t want the person he cared most for in this world to go through any of this with some stranger. He waited for Cloud to lay his head back before he deflated the balloon and removed the device as quickly and smoothly as he could.

Even with the warning, Cloud wasn’t quite prepared for the burning sensation that ripped through his already-tender tissues. Perhaps he would have flinched or squeezed a pillow or done anything really had he possessed the energy to do so, but as it was, he could only groan quietly before he was overcome by an unrelenting wave of nausea. He tried to call out to Zack, but the shadow of his lover had disappeared through the doorway along with the removed device and soiled towel. There was no stopping it. He barely rolled himself to his side before his body was wracked by intense retching. Whether bile or mako or drool alone came up, Cloud wasn’t really sure, but he knew he lost consciousness again with the feeling of Zack’s loving touch cleaning him off, stroking through his hair and brushing gently against his face.

*********

“Hey, Cloud?”

Cloud pried his eyelashes apart as he was carefully shaken awake. Every time he opened his eyes, it felt like the whole planet heaved, but somebody was being very persistent about rousing him. Zack, of course.

“Hey, buddy,” the Second smiled encouragingly at his smaller lover. “You’ve been out for another six hours or so. I talked with Angeal, and he said we’ve got to at least get your sweat rinsed off of you because of all the residual mako in it.”

His whole body hurt. It was like a behemoth had run him over a few times and left him for dead. The idea of getting to the bathroom seemed a monumental task, let alone taking a shower. He tried to raise up onto his arms, but the room began to sway dangerously. Apparently, so did he. 

“Whoa, hold on,” Zack coaxed Cloud back against the pillows. “You just hang on to this, and I’ll carry you over there.”

Cloud grabbed the squishy object Zack had placed in his hands. What was… oh. IV fluids. That’s why it felt like something was pulling the hairs on his arm when he moved. Tape was holding an IV in place. “Zack… how long has it been?” He felt himself being hoisted up into his boyfriend’s steadfast arms and was embarrassed by how pathetically limp his own limbs hung.

“It’s been a little over twenty-four hours. Angeal says you’ll be turning the corner here soon as long as I can keep you hydrated and relatively free of mako-sweat, but don’t worry. I’ve got all of tomorrow off with you too, okay? We’re going to get you through this.” He probably sounded a little more confident than he felt, but his determination certainly wasn’t lacking.

Zack had left the overhead bathroom lights off, instead opting for the dim, flickering glow of unscented candles. In any other circumstance, it would have seemed like an incredibly romantic gesture, but truthfully, he was just trying to protect Cloud’s enhanced vision from the sensory overload of bright lighting.

“I’m going to put you in the shower, but I’ll just sponge you down, okay? If I turn the shower on, it’s going to sound like Leviathan broke in and started screaming directly into your ear,” he explained.

“Zack, wait,” Cloud mumbled.

“Cloud, we gotta do this. I know it’ll be uncomfortable, but if you reabsorb the mako on your skin, it’ll only make you sicker.”

“No. Zack.” He pointed at the toilet, his voice starting to feel like it would give out if he tried to keep talking.

Zack’s face lit with understanding before darkening with concern. “Maybe I should stay with you so you don’t fall or anything.”

Cloud shook his head and immediately regretted the movement because his stomach lurched in protest. Still, he wasn’t about to have Zack hold him so he could use the damn bathroom.

“Cloud, I pull shifts in medical all the time. Pretty sure I know how it works.” It wasn’t a lie. He’d done it before for plenty of SOLDIERs and candidates who were recovering from injury or mako sickness, but it seemed so different, more awkward, with somebody he cared about. 

Infusing his voice with as much determination as he could, Cloud asserted a remarkably weak “ _No,”_ and tried to stare his boyfriend down. This was where he was drawing the line. Or, trying to anyway, given that his body was too weak to even let him stand.

Respect for his lover’s wishes battled with concern for Cloud’s safety, but, in the end, Zack chose to preserve Cloud’s dignity as best he could. They compromised with Zack helping Cloud get undressed and seated before waiting directly outside the door, nervously listening for any sound of distress. Zack ruffled his hand through his spikes, the oily texture reminding him that Cloud probably wasn’t the only one that needed a shower right now. It had been a long twenty-four hours. He had dozed for short periods, but hadn’t wanted to leave Cloud’s side lest the fresh SOLDIER wake up alone. 

Cloud had barely completed his task when the sheer effort of holding himself upright set his insides to revolting. Zack, who had clearly been listening intently, was next to him with a trash bin almost immediately after the retching started. There was nothing in Cloud’s stomach to expel, so his insides just convulsed painfully while he drooled up miniscule amounts of toxic-colored fluid, leaving him shaky and exhausted.

Once the spasms passed, Zack moved him to the shower. A towel placed on the tub’s floor kept most of Cloud’s body off the hard surface, but shudders of discomfort wracked the fragile man’s body every time a bit of his skin came in contact with the intensely cold fiberglass. True to his word, Zack had piled washcloths into a plastic basin of warm water to avoid turning on the spray that was sure to be far too overstimulating.

Cloud tried to just relax, to let himself be taken care of, but it wasn’t easy. Not only was it humiliating to be so utterly useless, but he couldn’t stop cringing and grimacing at each swipe of the rags, despite Zack’s efforts to be gentle. The terry cloth was too rough. The water too warm. The air too cold. Zack was embarrassingly thorough, manipulating his body with tender care to scrub down every bare inch of skin. He even tried to pour some water onto Cloud’s hair and massage it through the golden tendrils, apologizing for causing the whimpers that Cloud, who was now overtly shaking in his misery, couldn’t suppress.

“I’m so sorry, baby. I know it doesn’t feel good, but it’ll get better soon,” he soothed as he finished up and moved his shivering lover out onto the bathmat.

While the whole process hadn’t been pleasant, Cloud had to admit that he _did_ feel slightly better after it was over, a bit more refreshed and clear-headed. He was wrapped in a large, fluffy towel, reclined against a steady torso, and embraced by strong arms until Zack’s warmth bled into him, and his quaking began to subside. Waves of nausea continued to roll through him but, thankfully, were not accompanied by more violent attempts at gastric upheaval.

“I’m sorry I’m so pathetic, Zack. Is it this bad for everybody?” Cloud asked, eyes closed as his breathing came more easily.

Zack nuzzled into him, happy to see some signs of life returning. “Not everybody. Some people only get a mild case of sickness, but you got one hell of a dose of mako, Cloud. Angeal had to pull a lot of strings to get them to let you come home. They wanted to keep you in the ward for a few days while you recovered.”

Thank the gods he hadn’t been forced to stay. Being where Hojo had such easy access to him sounded terrifying. This was infinitely better, even though he hated being a burden. “Thank him for me when you talk to him, okay?” Cloud mumbled, the energy he had gained quickly draining away now that he was more comfortable.

“Hey buddy, stay with me for a little longer,” Zack coaxed as he jostled Cloud into awareness. “I’m gonna take you out to the couch so I can change the sheets on the bed. You’ll have to try to drink a little water.”

Cloud groaned at the very idea of trying to ingest anything, but he didn’t have much choice in the matter as Zack brought him into the living room and put a water bottle against his lips. “Zack, I can’t,” he said as he tried unsuccessfully to wave his boyfriend off.

“Cloud,” Zack said sternly, tipping the bottle anyway. “C’mon. At least a couple sips, even if it doesn’t all stay down. We’re supposed to get you off the IV fluids by tomorrow.”

A few swallows were all he could manage, and even those didn’t go down easily. Nor did they stay down for long, but at least throwing up water was more comfortable than dry heaving. He tried to give Zack, who seemed completely unperturbed, a reproachful look as he purged what felt like every drop of liquid he had drunk. 

After a lot of encouraging, Cloud made one more failed attempt to drink while Zack changed the bed linens, once again saying a prayer to the bucket next to him. He had been too shaky to even get much in his mouth. If this lasted another day, there was no way anybody would let him stay out of the ward. All he could do was hope, he supposed. And sleep. Tiredness washed over him like a snowstorm over Mt. Nibel. His body quivered from exhaustion by the time Zack returned from the bedroom.“Alright, buddy,” Zack whispered as he took the water bottle from Cloud’s limp grasp. “We’ll try again after you get some sleep.”

Cloud didn’t remember being lain carefully upon the mattress, wasn’t aware of the comforter being tucked around him, wasn’t conscious by the time Zack kissed him lightly on the forehead and stroked his still-damp spikes. All he remembered was falling asleep in warm arms, safely wrapped in his boyfriend’s embrace while he was carried out of the living room.

*********

“Babe, you’re okay. It’s not real…”

Cloud woke up thrashing and panting, his chest heaving. The loud, rapid beeping noise in his ears faded to the warm, steady sounds of Zack’s voice. Gradually, the green that had filled his vision was replaced by the dim glow of candlelight.

“Zack? What happened?” he asked as he grabbed for the familiar callouses, the strong hand that would envelop his own.

“Shh…” Zack soothed, rubbing his thumb over bloodless white knuckles. “You were just having a nightmare, a flashback. Happens a lot while SOLDIERs recover from the treatments.”

Still shaking, Cloud shifted against the mattress. He froze, a look of horror on his face. The sheets were… not dry.

Zack caught the look of shock and laughed. “You pulled your IV out when you were thrashing around,” he chuckled. “Don’t worry, just IV fluid. It was supposed to come out today anyway.”

Cloud blew out a sigh of intense relief. This whole experience had been humiliating enough. _That_ would have been far too much.

“With your IV gone, though, you definitely have to drink something today,” the Second warned seriously. “Why don’t we get you out to the couch? We can watch some TV, and you can sip at some water.”

When Cloud nodded, he noticed that the world didn’t spin quite as badly as it had the day before. With no small amount of effort, he managed to push himself to a sitting position in the bed, despite quaking arms and aching joints. Zack made to scoop him up, but Cloud brushed him away.

“Let me try to walk,” he insisted.

“I don’t know if that’s a good idea, Cloud. You haven’t had anything to eat in a day and a half, and…” Zack swallowed whatever else he’d intended to say when he saw the stubborn glower settle over the blonde’s features. He knew that look. There was no amount of arguing or logic that would overcome _that_ look.

It took a few tries, and his arms gave out at least once, but Cloud eventually scooted himself to the side of the bed where his legs could dangle off the edge. He still hurt, but it felt _good_ to be able to move his own body again. The floor refused to stay entirely stable beneath him, like the whole apartment was floating on a stormy sea, making it hard to plant his feet firmly on the carpeted surface. A few seconds of dizzied standing were as much as he could manage before he collapsed against Zack’s waiting form.

“I’ve got you,” the Second assured. Rather than picking the smaller man up, he wrapped a strong arm around his waist and supported his weight.

Clumsily, Cloud put one foot in front of the other and made his way out to the couch leaning heavily on his boyfriend. He was grateful for the tender care, but he was even more appreciative for Zack’s allowing him to be as independent as possible. Accepting help had never been one of his strong suits.

The short walk to the living room may very well have been a hiking expedition up Mt. Nibel itself for all the effort it took. Spent, Cloud sank onto the couch and let himself be tucked in while he caught his breath. It didn’t feel like much, but slow progress was better than no progress.

“Alright, Cloud. Water.” Zack pressed, leaving no room for argument as he slid the all-too-familiar waste-bucket next to the fresh SOLDIER and shoved a water bottle into his hands. “Take your time, but you have to try. If you can’t keep anything down by the end of today, Angeal said he has to take you back.”

Grimacing at the bottle, Cloud tentatively sipped the flavorless liquid. As predicted, his stomach lurched as soon as the water hit it, but by the grace of the gods, did not elicit a vomiting spell. Rather than risk any more, Cloud capped the bottle, called it a win, and decided that one sip was enough for now. He looked up to see Zack watching him intently, the lines of worry etched across his forehead finally starting to soften.

The day ended up being a vast improvement from the one before, with the majority of it being spent on the couch instead of the bed. While Cloud wasn’t quite strong enough to _walk_ anywhere without a lot of assistance, he stubbornly insisted at least once on crawling to and from the bathroom to demonstrate that he could do it. He knew Zack was scheduled to return to work the next day, so he wanted to prove he could manage on his own for the duration of a single shift.

Of course, every time he overexerted himself or tried to drink more than a sip of water or maybe even tilted his head the wrong way, his insides would still revolt. Between that and the frequent naps, he proudly kept down about half a bottle of water by the time the day was done. It certainly wasn’t perfect, but apparently Angeal had said that was enough improvement for him to be able to stay safely at Zack’s for another day. His hopes were high that tomorrow would be even better. Angeal had even knocked and left a container of homemade soup outside the door to try the next day, not wanting to intrude on the couple’s privacy.

When Cloud crawled between the sheets that night, Zack didn’t take up what had become his usual spot in the chair next to the bed. Apparently satisfied that his partner was doing well enough to no longer require close watching, Zack curled up around the smaller form, nuzzling close and sniffing lightly. The mako smell was still strong, overpowering his sensitive nose, but underneath, he thought he could smell a subtle herby fragrance, like mountain air touched with wintergreen. What it would grow into, only Gaia knew, but he looked forward to finding out.

“I was so scared for you, Cloud,” he admitted quietly. “I’m so happy you’re safe.”

“Thank you for all you’ve done for me,” Cloud replied, sleepily. He brought Zack’s hand to his lips to kiss it chastely but caringly. “I love you, Zack.”

Zack smiled, warmth blooming through his chest as he held his SOLDIER close. “I love you too, babe,” he whispered as he heard Cloud’s breathing slow and deepen to a barely-audible snore. Sure, they’d have obstacles to overcome, but things were certainly shaping up now that the worst of the dreaded enhancements seemed to be behind them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whew, I don't know who needed the cuddles more - Cloud or Zack.


	8. Chapter 8

“Hey Cloud!” Zack called out as he slipped his shoes off. His first shift back after the time off for Cloud’s enhancements hadn’t been a particularly difficult one, mostly low-level mako maintenance administration for one of the infantry squads, but it had felt terribly long as he’d spent every spare moment worrying about his spiky-haired counterpart. He hadn’t received any messages on his PHS, but that wasn’t unusual. Cloud hated bothering him at work. However, the lack of response he got upon arriving home wasn’t making Zack feel any better. “Cloud?” he called again, finding it odd that the blonde wasn’t out on the couch watching TV or playing video games.

“Cloud?” Zack tried again, and again was met with no reply. He decided to check the bedroom next. After all, he expected Cloud would be fatigued for a few days yet, so a nap wasn’t out of the question. When he opened the bedroom door, however, alarm overwhelmed his senses. “Shit! Cloud, are you okay?”

Cloud was tossing fitfully on the bed, searching for a comfortable position that was proving to be completely elusive. Most of the pillows were scattered across the room, the comforter heaped messily on the floor. Despite the air being sweltering hot, the small form was shivering uncontrollably under the remaining tangled sheet.

“Zack, I don’t know what’s wrong,” Cloud groaned miserably, teeth chattering. “I think the mako sickness is back, but it’s worse. I’m nauseous again, and I’m freezing. Can you turn the thermostat up?”

Zack took a few tentative steps closer, his eyes adjusting to the darkness of the room. He could make out a sheen of sweat coating Cloud’s body, soaking his hair and leaving damp marks upon what remained of the linens. Suddenly, Cloud kicked the last pillow and sheet unceremoniously from the mattress, leaving the young man naked and curled in on himself.

Suspecting he knew the answer, Zack quietly asked, “Babe, if you’re cold, why are you throwing all the covers off?” He sidled closer, smelling the air and listening to the shallow breathing. 

“They’re really uncomfortable. Too scratchy or something. Please, Zack, turn the furnace up,” he pleaded as he pulled his knees closer to his chest.

Zack cautiously sat himself on the mattress and reached out to lay a palm against Cloud’s sweat-soaked skin. His quaking lover flinched away, causing a painful pressure to build within Zack’s chest. Sure enough, the blonde’s body felt like a fire raged just beneath the surface. It was no wonder the air felt so cold to him.

“Stop, Zack! Your hand… It’s too rough. Or cold. Or… I don’t know. My skin just hurts so bad, Zack,” Cloud moaned pitifully. He tossed and turned again, finally coming to rest with his back to his partner. He only uncurled himself enough to bring his arms between his torso and legs, where they clutched tightly against his abdomen.

Suspicions strong, Zack took a long, slow breath and focused on using what he thought of as his work voice, the calming tone that tended to reign in aggressive alphas and soothe distressed omegas in medical. “Cloud, I want you to hold still for me, babe, just for a minute. I want to check something, but I’m going to need to touch you, okay? It won’t take long.”

Cloud nodded hesitantly. He wanted to be touched, held, comforted. He wanted things, which his body insisted upon making apparent, that he didn’t know he _could_ want when he felt this miserable. But, gods, why did Zack’s touch feel so uncomfortable? The mako. Right. Like the sponge bath. That had been unpleasant too when it probably would have been enjoyable otherwise. The nausea was familiar as well, but this time it was accompanied by a deep aching low in his belly, like his insides were twisting and constricting mercilessly. Did all SOLDIERs experience multiple waves like this, or was something wrong? Was his body rejecting the mako? Were they going to send him back to medical, to Hojo?

With Cloud turned away and curled up as he was, it was fairly easy for Zack to gingerly run his fingers along the cleft of his smaller lover’s backside until they rested against the ring of muscle nestled there. A whimper echoed through the room as he carefully pushed to feel within and offer a few testing movements. The pliancy, the viscous slick, the internal spasms… there was no denying it.

“Cloud, it’s going to be okay,” Zack soothed as he withdrew his touch, unsure if the stimulation was making Cloud feel better or worse. He suspected the latter. “You’re in heat, honey. That’s all it is.”

“No!” Cloud cried out, embarrassed, confused. “It was supposed to be a month or so before… Ugh… I’m gonna be sick...”

Zack ran to retrieve a trash can, barely returning in time to avoid a mess. He wracked his brain, considering his options. All he wanted to do was comfort and pamper Cloud back into wellness, but he knew what heats were like, especially the first. To have it complicated by residual mako illness… he couldn’t even imagine.

“Cloud, listen to me. I can’t give you what your body needs right now, but do you want me to call somebody who can?”

Cloud grimaced as he nodded. Anything to help. He was getting desperate. His skin was crawling, his insides convulsing. Zack’s touching seemed to have made matters worse, hinting at a solution he couldn’t offer.

Overwhelmed, Zack threw out the first name that came to mind. “Angeal? How about Angeal? I’ll need to call him anyway to update him on your recovery.”

Cloud shook his head. Too much time in medical with Angeal. Besides, Angeal was Zack’s. Or Zack was Angeal’s. Or… just no. Not Angeal.

Zack raked his fingers through his hair in nervous frustration. This wasn’t something they had talked about. They hadn’t made a plan for this yet. This wasn’t supposed to be _happening_ right now! “Okay, I’ll think on it and be right back, babe,” he assured more confidently than he felt as he stepped out of the room and dialed Angeal anyway. Never had two rings of a phone seemed so long.

“Angeal?!” Zack knew he sounded frantic, even though he was trying to sound anything but.

“ _Zackary, what’s wrong?”_

“It’s Cloud, Ang. He’s… he’s in heat.”

Silence hung heavy in the air, broken only by a slight static that indicated the call was still active. Zack didn’t have time for silence. He needed _answers._

“Angeal? Did you hear me?”

“ _Yes, I… Zackary, are you sure?”_

“Yeah, Ang. He’s burning up. He’s hypersensitive. I even… I checked, you know? He’s definitely in heat.”

Another pause on the line. “ _I’ll be there shortly.”_

“Wait!” Zack exclaimed before Angeal had a chance to hang up. His voice broke as he choked out the next words. “I’m so sorry, Ang. He doesn’t want you here. I… I don’t know how to help him.” He couldn’t hold back a bitter sob as he admitted, “He doesn’t even want _me_ to touch him.”

 _“Shhh… puppy…”_ Angeal’s voice soothed through the PHS. “ _It’s okay. Most of the time he’s spent with me has been under unpleasant circumstances, so it’s not surprising he doesn’t want me there when he’s vulnerable.”_

Zack nodded as he pulled himself back together. What Angeal said made sense, but he didn’t know who to call for Cloud. He didn’t even know if Cloud had somebody in mind. There was supposed to be more time to figure all this out.

_“And Zack, you remember your first heat. It’s overwhelming. On top of that, his nerves are still completely raw from the enhancement protocol. His body is beyond sensitive right now, but don’t worry. It won’t always be like this. Have you asked him about Genesis? They seem to get along well. I think Genesis would be willing, if you approved.”_

“Genesis?” He hadn’t thought about the feisty redhead, but it wasn’t a bad idea. Genesis had stayed with him through one of his own heats while Angeal was away on a mission some time ago. Besides, the man spent uncounted hours of his free time researching omegas – their physiology, their behaviors, their needs. He would probably know how best to care for a heat-struck omega who was mako-sick on top of it, right? It was worth a try at least.

Zack peeked his head into the bedroom again where Cloud had set back to writhing restlessly on the bed. Gods it hurt to see him like this and know he couldn’t fix it. “Cloud? Do you want me to try Genesis?”

Cloud whimpered and nodded. The warm pack. The quiet knowing. The caring presence hidden behind a façade of sass and flamboyancy. The cerulean eyes that held both flame and compassion. Yes. Genesis. 

Zack ducked back out, relieved to have some direction. “Ang, he said yes to Genesis.”

“ _Good. I suspected he might. Go ahead and give Gen a call once you’ve calmed down a bit. I’ll let him know you’ll be in touch.”_

“Thank you, Angeal.”

“ _Of course. And Zack. You’re welcome to come stay with me once Cloud is settled.”_

Cloud heard Zack talking on his PHS through the door, but could only focus enough to make out some of the words. He heard things like “no, he hasn’t eaten anything,” and “only a little water yesterday” and “looks really sick.” It made him panic. What if that meant he wasn’t recovering from the mako? What if it meant they were taking him back to medical, admitting him for overnight stays? No. Please, no. They’d touch him and poke him and prod him in medical, all under the direction of Hojo. Then, there was the click of a PHS closing, followed by silence, and time was passing again. How much time? He had no idea.

Cloud had lost all concept of time during the day. He remembered waking up when Zack got up for work and remembered feeling a little… off. That wasn’t unusual. In fact, “a little off” was a vast improvement from how he’d felt the other days he’d woken up since the mako enhancement. However, “a little off” had quickly deteriorated to “feeling so miserable that he was honestly frightened.” The mild chill that he had woken with had progressed to a rapid oscillation between overheating and freezing, like he was bathing in dry ice, his skin burnt from the intensity of the cold. It left his body sensitive. _Too_ sensitive. Each fiber of his clothing, the comforter, the bed linens scraped against nerve endings that were raw. His mouth watered, not from hunger, but from the nausea clawing at his stomach. There was an awful aching, squeezing pain low in his abdomen, in a place that was still new to him. 

Yet, in the midst of all the misery, he was plagued with some sick, twisted, masochistic desire, which the aching stiffness between his legs wouldn’t let him forget. He’d tried to take care of it, to stroke tentatively at his arousal. He’d made more attempts than he’d care to admit, just to find relief from at least one of his discomforts. However, every time he tried, he ended up hissing and wincing away from himself, his body apparently too sensitive for even that.

He tossed and turned, once again seeking out a position that was at least tolerable. Zack had asked about calling Genesis, but Cloud wasn’t sure one of the most powerful SOLDIERs of Shinra, who happened to be in a relationship with the other two most powerful SOLDIERs of Shinra, would venture out to a Second Class’s apartment for… whatever this was. What if he didn’t come? What if he _did?_ There was so much he should have asked Zack. Or at least asked somebody. That was about the time he heard a loud knock thundering through the apartment. Shortly after, a scent reached his nose, a faint but intoxicating aroma, and he let loose a pathetic keen that made him blush in embarrassment.

Zack had worn a steady track in the cheap carpet by the time Genesis arrived. “Thank Gaia, you’re here. He’s in the bedroom,” Zack sighed with relief as he opened the door.

Genesis made no attempt to cross the threshold when Zack stepped aside, barely suppressing a shudder as an army of subtle fragrances attacked his senses. “No, Zack,” he asserted at Zack’s gesture to come in. “Offer him this. I’d offer myself, but the scent is too strong.” The smell of mountain herbs and sex called to him, and he knew he’d be swept away if he immersed himself in it. Instead of taking that risk, he held a blanket out toward Zack. He had picked the softest he owned and scented it liberally before leaving his own living space.

Zack let out a distressed whine when Genesis refused to come in. At the keening noise from the other room, his whine devolved into outright panicked begging. “He needs an alpha, Gen. It wasn’t supposed to be time for him yet, but it is, and he’s _hurting_ , and I think the mako is making it worse and…”

“ _Zack!_ ” Genesis interrupted. “You had the opportunity to make arrangements with Angeal before your first heat. Cloud, on the other hand, has been thrown into this without the time to make a completely lucid, thought-out decision, and neither you nor I have the right to make it for him. Therefore, we will do this in such a way as to offer him as much say as we can, or I refuse to do this at all.” It was a struggle to say, and would be a greater struggle to carry out, given his pre-existing attraction to the young SOLDIER, but he would abide by his threat in order to preserve Cloud’s dignity. 

Irritated by his internal battle between reason and instincts, doubly so by Zack’s hesitation, Genesis snapped out, “Where are your heat supplies anyway? Extra bedding and blankets? Knotting implements? Anything?”

Startled, Zack blurted out, “Angeal’s! I’ve never been around Cloud for…that. It’s always Angeal’s! Gen, why is his heat so soon?”

Genesis steeled himself, then sniffed the air tentatively. Swirled in with the herbaceous aroma, there was a hint of… citrus. “Zack, how close are you to _your_ heat?”

Zack blushed furiously at the personal question, a rare reaction for the easy-going Second. “Close. A few days, if that,” he admitted.

“That’s probably why, Zack. You two are so closely bonded that his newly developed physiology mimicked yours. Now, will you _please_ shut up and offer him the godsforsaken blanket,” Genesis hissed out, struggling to resist the call of one omega in a brutal heat and another in distress.

At last, Zack took the blanket to offer to Cloud. When he crossed into the bedroom, a pained mewling noise floated through the door. Genesis repeated the first few lines of Loveless under his breath in a half-hearted attempt to tune it out.

“Hey, Cloud,” Zack gentled as he approached his lover. “Gen’s here. He asked me to give you this. Tell us what you think.”

Cloud grabbed onto the ridiculously soft fabric like it was a lifeline. He buried his face in it, inhaling deeply the smell of musk and spice, of safety and satiety. He moaned and keened and hated himself for doing it. More. This. He needed more of this, needed to be able to communicate that, but his mind was hazy. It made words difficult to form. Hot and freezing, Cloud covered himself with the luxurious blanket, wrapping himself in it as tightly as he could manage.

Zack took it as a good sign and eagerly returned to the front door, where Genesis was shifting uncomfortably. “Well? How did he respond?” the redheaded commander implored.

“I’m sure you could hear some of it,” Zack replied sheepishly. “But he wrapped himself in it after he smelled you.” Silently, he berated himself for not stocking the apartment with at least basic nesting supplies to provide Cloud with some form of comfort, but he’d thought there would be much more time. He felt like he’d failed as a partner.

“Good, that’s as good as we could ask for,” Genesis sighed in relief, finally comfortable crossing the threshold.

“Should I come with you?” Zack asked, unsure what to do now.

“Honestly, I think it would better if you went to Angeal’s,” Genesis admitted. “I’m sure Cloud will want you close by for later heats, Zack, but not the first. Especially with the recent mako exposure, I don’t know if he’ll tolerate anything _but_ an alpha’s touch. Besides, I want to focus on him completely, and your distress is proving to be a distraction.”

Without a backward glance, Genesis left Zack to his own devices and invited himself into the bedroom, closing the door behind him. The sight before him made his groin throb, but simultaneously made his chest ache.

The fresh omega before him was clearly in pain, struck by both heat and mako sickness at once. Genesis unslung a backpack from his shoulder and began to strip out of his clothing, sure that very little would be acceptable against Cloud’s hypersensitive skin right now. He scrubbed a hand over his face as the young SOLDIER reacted to his presence.

Cloud was relieved by Genesis’s arrival, but was mortified by his body’s instinctive reaction to the presence of an alpha. He found himself clamoring onto all fours, wishing the bed would turn to quicksand and swallow him and his embarrassing posture whole. Some piece of his brain offered up a vague memory of Angeal mentioning something about “classic presentation.” He covered his face with his hand, not wanting to see the disgust that surely danced in Genesis’s eyes.

Genesis took the opportunity to pull a bottle from his bag, clandestinely drop a pill into it, and shake it thoroughly. “No, Cloud,” he coaxed. “I know you don’t want that, and neither do I. I’m going to take care of you, but I need to make sure you’re safe first. Come here,” he encouraged as he sat on the bed and patted a spot next to him.

Cloud made a few more of the pitiful mewling noises before overriding his instincts and sitting next to Genesis. Like a person. Because he was a _person_ , not an animal. Gaia, he would give anything not to feel like this. He knew his cheeks were red, but hopefully Genesis would take it as a symptom of his condition. He mumbled an apology, or at least tried to. Effective speech was proving to be as elusive as comfort.

Genesis understood. He could see the misery and horror lacing Cloud’s face even if he couldn’t make out the words Cloud tried to say. “It’s okay, darling. Don’t be embarrassed. You’re just new to it all. Drink this,” he instructed.

Cloud tried to push the bottle away, sure he would throw it right back up. That was just what he needed to top off his severe humiliation. To vomit on one of Shinra’s commanding officers.

“You’re not going to be sick, come on,” Genesis insisted, cradling Cloud’s body close and forcing the bottle against his lips until he could see the muscles of the blonde’s throat working. “There you go. Your body is craving sweet because sugar is easy energy. It’ll help with the fever too.”

After the first couple of swallows, Cloud needed no more convincing. He lapped greedily at what tasted like cold lemonade. The citrusy flavor reminded him of Zack, which quieted his mind while the touch of a trusted alpha quieted his body. His nausea began to ebb as coolness washed through his belly. Gratefully, he drank until the bottle was empty, then fought (rather unsuccessfully) the urge to climb into Genesis’s lap.

Genesis sank his teeth into his lower lip as Cloud made a stuttered attempt to straddle him. The battle with his own urges presented enough of a challenge, but to battle Cloud’s as well was proving to be borderline impossible. Still, he maneuvered himself away from Cloud’s efforts and lay on his side on the mostly bare bed, cradling his own head with one arm to make up for the lack of pillows. 

“Just lay with me,” Genesis coaxed. “It’ll feel good. I promise,” he soothed gently until Cloud nestled his back against the redhead’s chest. Once the smaller man was curled next to him, he covered them both with the scented blanket and settled his free hand low on Cloud’s abdomen, applying a warm, steady pressure. “There, makes the cramping better, right?”

Despite his growing frustration, and his mounting embarrassment regarding said frustration, Cloud was relieved that Genesis did indeed appear to be peeling away his myriad discomforts one by one. The nausea had resolved almost entirely. The twisting and squeezing of his insides, the cramping as Genesis had called it, wasn’t gone, but was tolerable. As long as Genesis was close to him like this, he didn’t feel like he was freezing anymore. Minutes passed by, and Cloud no longer felt the need to writhe and thrash. This was the best he’d felt since the SOLDIER enhancement.

Unfortunately, that seemed to make the throbbing desire in his groin and the aching, spasming emptiness within him even more prominent. He could feel moisture gathering behind him as his arousal burned brighter, and he cringed in disgust, trying to murmur an apology for his grossness.

“Mmmm,” Genesis crooned warmly, happy to feel Cloud’s shivering cease and the pained tension in his muscles melt away. “May I?” he asked as he trailed his hand across Cloud’s hip and over the rounded shape of his backside.

Cloud whimpered, partly from shame, partly from desire, and nodded his head.

Genesis coated his fingers in the viscous slick that had collected between the blonde’s cheeks and plunged two of them deeply within Cloud. “Shhhh…” he whispered as the omega gasped, spasming muscles finally gaining purchase on _something_. Gently, but firmly, he worked Cloud open. Not because he needed to, not with Cloud deep in the throes of heat, but because he wanted to let Cloud know him first in whatever way he could.

Somehow, with most of his discomforts resolved, Cloud found that he was becoming more clear-headed. The mental fog he had felt trapped in was dissipating. He wasn’t sure if it was in spite of or because of the persistent pleasure of his superior’s digits pumping into him, but he was grateful for it either way. “Genesis…” he breathed out, a comfortable vibration starting beneath his sternum.

Genesis was relieved to hear the young SOLDIER coming back to his senses, and was even more relieved to feel the slight purr of contentedness through the man’s back. Taking advantage of whatever mental clarity was surfacing, he asked, “Cloud? Is this okay?”

Cloud nodded, and the feeling in his chest intensified. He startled himself as the rumbling sensation turned into an audible noise, his surprise abruptly bringing the vibration to a stop.

Genesis chuckled, never halting his ministrations. “Relax, Cloud. It’s just a reflex, a good one. From coeurl DNA, we think. I’m surprised you haven’t heard Zack purr before, though perhaps I shouldn’t be, considering he seems to have sheltered you from _all_ of his omega behaviors.”

If he hadn’t been overwhelmed by need, Cloud may have asked questions, but arousal unlike anything he had experienced before coursed through his veins, demanding attention. “Genesis… please…” he moaned out before he resumed making that foreign sound that seemed to emanate from his very core.

Genesis deeply inhaled the scent along Cloud’s neck, burying his nose into the blonde spikes and nibbling delicately along the soft skin there. Feeling content that he had received the most explicit permission he could, he allowed himself to succumb to his baser instincts, to admit that a part of him had wanted this since their first meeting. “Are you ready for me?”

Cloud whimpered and nodded his head in assent. Gods, he was ready. He was safe, and he was wanted, and he was _desperately_ ready. He would beg for it, if that’s what this compassionate alpha needed him to do.

A sultry growl tinged Genesis’s voice as he commanded, “Then spread your legs for me, my sweet little omega, and let me feel you.”

Never had Cloud been more willing to take direction. He drew one of his legs up and threw it over Genesis’s body, parting his knees as wide as he was able. A disappointed mewl left his lips as Genesis withdrew his gently probing fingers. Even the few moments of emptiness were too long, a small eternity of aching and wanting. Thank the gods Genesis wasted no time in lining himself up and, _“Ohhh!”_

Cloud moaned something out as Genesis rolled his hips forward. He knew it was unintelligible, but he didn’t care. This alpha was _filling_ him in a way that was both familiar and foreign at once. It was familiar in the way he’d been with Zack, in the pleasant stretch and the feeling of hips meeting hips. Yet, Genesis seemed to push further, into his very center, lighting up nerves he didn’t know he had. For all he knew, maybe he _didn’t_ have them before. It made his body bow with pleasure, freed from the chains of misery he had been bound by less than an hour before.

Genesis hugged the smaller man close, loath to let even a whisper of air come between their bodies. He wanted to surround Cloud with his strength, to make him feel safe. It was a protective alpha instinct, which he loathed to admit, but not altogether without purpose. Cloud certainly didn’t seem to mind, arching into the hold and baring his throat seductively. 

Given the fresh SOLDIER’s tendency to be shy and awkward in a social setting, a tendency not all that dissimilar from Sephiroth’s, Genesis had assumed he’d be quiet in the bedroom as well. His assumption had been wrong. Beautiful moans filled the room as he was met thrust for thrust, wanton cries provoked by each cadenced movement. He could see the deep flush forming across Cloud’s skin, rosy shades of red and pink splashed across creamy white. Pleasure looked like a form of art on the blonde’s features, and Genesis couldn’t get enough. 

He rutted passionately, delighting in the wet heat, the heat of an omega, _Cloud’s heat_. Cloud’s _first_ heat, he reminded himself as he felt a tightening low in his pelvis. “Cloud,” he breathed out, voice rough with lust. “I’m going to…” the build of a dry climax threatened to steal his words, “knot you. _Ah!”_ He drove himself as deeply as he could manage, locking their hips flush with one another. “It might hurt at first, precious, but it’ll get b… better quickly.” He gave himself over to the frantic panting of his faux peak, the play at orgasm that preceded the formation of an alpha’s knot.

Cloud froze as he felt Genesis expand within him. It was too much too quickly. Everything up to this point had been blissful, but a body couldn’t possibly be made to take this. He was feeling something he’d never even witnessed, only heard of. His panicked reflexes said to pull away even though his instincts said it wasn’t possible. Fortunately, he wasn’t left to make the decision alone. Genesis held him tightly, showering him in whispered praise and affirmation, soothing him until their bodies had adjusted to each other, as they truly coupled as alpha and omega.

Once Cloud had settled, Genesis began to undulate against him, more a subtle shift than an outright thrust. With the slight rocking movement, Cloud’s spasming internal muscles finally found the purchase they had been searching for, milking the knot within and causing waves of pleasure to crash through both men. The rhythmic contractions were paired with rhythmic strokes to his length, and Cloud was surprised to realize that the painful hypersensitivity was gone. It had been replaced by pure ecstasy under Genesis’s touch, and Cloud found himself crying out for more, yes, please Genesis, more.

Stars burst wildly behind Cloud’s eyelids as his face contorted in the most intense pleasure he’d ever experienced. Warmth surged through him, and, in response, he felt Genesis tighten… everywhere. Around him and inside him and against him. His very teeth tingled with the electricity of it all, and judging by the alpha’s stuttered breathing, Genesis couldn’t be far behind. Cloud heard his own name growled into his ear, felt the grip around his finally softening cock loosen, felt the hand clamp around his neck instead. 

Genesis’s mind became hazy as the beautiful creature before him shouted his name in climax. The tight, spasming heat clenched harder around him, and he clutched Cloud to his chest as he followed the omega into bliss. His brain short-circuited so severely that he barely had the wherewithal to cover the gland at Cloud’s neck he was being given such dangerous access to. As his body convulsed, he bit and sucked at the back of his own hand, careful to mark only his own skin despite his instinctual longing to taste and claim. Maybe next heat. If he were welcomed back, that is.

Their bodies stayed locked together for a few additional moments, time they spent gently caressing and nuzzling one another. Chests heaved and muscles quivered in the quiet afterglow. Cloud was the first to break the near silence, his voice scarcely more than a whisper.

“Genesis, thank you for…” he trailed off, unsure how to express his gratitude adequately.

The redhead smirked, “For coming? It was my pleasure, Cloud.” 

Cloud rolled his eyes, finally feeling like a weak semblance of himself. That was bad enough to be a Zack comment. Zack. “Where’s Zack?” The question spilled out of his mouth before he had time to think about whether it was rude to ask. 

Genesis, not offended in the slightest at the mention of another omega, smiled warmly into Cloud’s neck, wrapping himself just a little more tightly around the limp form. “Mmmm. He went to Angeal’s. Based on his scent, I suspect they’ll be doing the same thing we are in the near future.”

The weight of guilt developing in Cloud’s chest lightened, and he allowed his body to relax into the strong arms that held him safely. With discomforts resolved and desires sated, Cloud felt the peaceful fuzziness of sleep rolling into the edges of his consciousness. He yawned contentedly and let his eyelids drift closed, cuddling back into the steady heartbeat behind him. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Is it safe to assume that, since you clicked on an explicit rated A/B/O fic, you were probably looking for heat sex? I hope so. Because there will be more next chapter, whenever I get the opportunity to get it out of my head and onto the page.


	9. Chapter 9

“I’m sorry sweetheart, but I can’t let you sleep as long as you’d like just yet.”

Groaning pitifully, Cloud tried to ignore the words, finally comfortable and wanting nothing more than to sleep. Unfortunately, the voice kept calling his name, the hand gently shaking him into wakefulness. An overpowering aroma infiltrated his nostrils as he roused. It was familiar, but it washed out the sweet fragrance of smoke and cider that had come to soothe him. Grudgingly, he opened his eyes to determine the source of the smell only to have a soft sphere of some unknown substance placed against his mouth.

“I need you to eat something, sweetheart. Just a little bit. Come on,” Genesis encouraged, pressing persistently against Cloud’s lips.

Reflexively, Cloud pulled away. He was _not_ miserable for the first time in days, and didn’t want to jeopardize his comfort by risking yet another bout of nausea. Besides, he’d barely managed water lately. What in the names of the gods made anybody think he could stomach food?

“You’re not going to throw it up, Cloud. I need you to trust me, just like you did with the lemonade. Between the treatments and your heat, your body’s burning through whatever reserves you had,” Genesis coaxed, carefully curling his free hand around the nape of Cloud’s neck to prevent a retreat.

With all the strength of an infant, Cloud stubbornly attempted to push away the proffered morsel. He finally felt _okay_. Why was his alpha trying to make him sick? If only words were easier to form, he would have asked, but they simply hovered in his periphery, barely out of reach. Frustrated by his inability to speak, his efforts to fight became more frantic despite his weakness. The fingers around the base of his skull only strengthened their hold, thwarting his attempts to escape.

“ _Cloud,_ ” Genesis growled, earning himself a sapphire glare. “If you do not eat, I have to take you back to medical where they will shove a tube up your nose and into your stomach to force feed you. I wish that weren’t true, but here we are.”

Eyes wide with horror, Cloud froze at the very thought of such betrayal. Though it sounded far too awful to be real, his few experiences in medical and the labs so far told him that Genesis spoke the truth. He opened his mouth to protest, and Genesis took the opportunity to pop the small bite between Cloud’s teeth.

Offended, but left with no choice, Cloud reluctantly chewed. The flavor was oddly pleasant, and the smell identifiable at last. Peanut butter. But sweet, somehow. And more solid. He scrunched his eyebrows in what was both an accusation and a question, still at a loss for words.

Genesis laughed at the display of pouting and curiosity. “Peanut butter sweetened with honey and fortified with a vitamin and protein powder mix. Perfect for an omega in heat, particularly one that’s starving,” he answered smoothly to the unasked query, massaging the tension of the blonde’s neck while he spoke.

With the battle lost, Cloud gave up on his efforts to resist. A sane part of his brain, the part that seemed entirely too elusive for his liking, rationalized that Genesis was right to convince him to eat. Besides, if he were being honest with himself, it _was_ rather good, despite the way it stuck to his teeth. His stomach roiled threateningly when he swallowed, but fortunately did nothing worse, not that he’d want to take his chances on a second bite.

“That’s it, Cloud. Good. We’ll try more later,” the redhead assured. “Now, I need to get you washed off before you sleep. You’re still sweating mako, darling.”

Cloud cringed. The air remained cold against his skin when Genesis wasn’t curled around him, and the very idea of removing the blanket he’d been gifted set him to shivering. Shakily, he pulled himself to the edge of the mattress, worried about the steadiness of his limbs. With a fuzzy mind, he fought to collect his thoughts enough to string together a single timid admission.

“I don’t know if I can walk alone.” His voice sounded like a whisper to his own ears, the words somewhat garbled and slurred, like he’d been drinking.

Smiling warmly, Genesis helped the fresh omega to the side of the bed and wrapped an arm firmly around him while the blanket slipped from his small frame. 

“Oh sweetheart,” he chuckled as he pressed a soft kiss into golden spikes and assisted Cloud to his feet. “I’m sorry you even thought I expected you to.”

Cloud leaned heavily into the alpha’s side as he stumbled toward the bathroom on quivering legs. The strong arm that held him kept the worst of the chill away, but he was still far from warm. Tremors wracked his body. Whether they were from exhaustion or cold, he couldn’t tell, but he nuzzled desperately into the heated body beside him hoping it would help either way.

Genesis made a harsh snort of disgust.

“Sorry,” Cloud mumbled quietly and made to pull away.

“No, no, not you darling,” the First explained. “I didn’t realize that Seconds didn’t even have proper bathtubs with which to care for you adequately.” He shook his head and tutted disdainfully. “Next heat, I’ll spoil you with a real bath in my jacuzzi tub. If, ah… Should you have an interest at that time, I mean. Not ah…”

Cloud hummed contentedly and pressed closer, effectively silencing what was beginning to sound like an apology. Under normal circumstances, he would prickle at the idea of being “spoiled,” but in this moment, he wasn’t sure that he’d ever heard of a more glorious offer. Brief visions of Zack filled his head, of soaking together in hot water up to their chins and letting the tension melt away. They’d never had the chance before, having only met after joining Shinra’s forces.

A thundering noise echoed through Cloud’s skull, interrupting his daydreams and causing him to flinch and cower beneath the painful din. He scanned his surroundings as his heart raced, half-expecting Leviathan to have materialized and screamed its displeasure. The only offender he could find, however, was nothing more menacing than the shower.

“Oh, Cloud, honey, come here,” Genesis said as he turned and drew the blonde’s head against his chest. “I should have warned you about the noise.”

With one ear pressed to Genesis’s sternum and the other covered by his hand, Cloud was able to drown out the worst of the racket. The chaotic clamor quieted to be replaced by the slow and steady thud of the alpha’s heartbeat. If Cloud listened hard enough, he could even make out a faint rhythmic rumble that was deeply calming, almost hypnotic with enough focus.

Once the water was hot enough for steam to start filling the room, Genesis guided them both under the near-scalding spray. Cloud hissed when the water first pelted his back, but quickly went limp as any lingering chill was sapped from him bones. His legs threatened to give out as his body relaxed, but the hold around him never faltered.

After a few minutes of letting the fresh SOLDIER adjust to the volume of water hitting tile, Genesis whispered, “Cloud, can I uncover your ear now?”

Hesitantly, Cloud nodded and braced for the ache against his eardrums, surprised by the significant improvement only a few sheltered moments had given him. He sighed with relief while Genesis began to thread his fingers through the limp spikes, scratching lightly at the blonde’s scalp. It was the first real shower he’d had since his enhancements, and the sensation of so many individual water droplets hitting his body would have been overwhelming if it hadn’t been for the alpha’s grounding touch.

“Good, sweetheart. You just hold on to me. I’ve got you,” Genesis assured as he scanned the products on the ledge and sniffed exasperatedly at the options, all scented far too heavily to be appropriate for heat.

Too tired to complain about the headache he was getting from the artificial smells, Cloud sagged against Genesis’s torso. Skilled hands worked lather through his hair, and the strange vibration built in his chest again. He still found it bizarre for his body to create noises that he’d never heard before, but he tried not to give the foreign occurrence too much thought. Content and compliant, he let Genesis tilt his head back to rinse the suds and oil out of his hair, appreciating the way the First kept the shampoo from running into his eyes. It wasn’t soaking in a tub, but it _was_ rather nice.

Genesis felt the loofahs hanging on hooks, unsure which belonged to whom without smelling them directly. The material of both was rough and scratchy, good for getting a job done quickly and great for exfoliating, but atrocious for caressing sensitive skin and raw nerves. Instead of selecting either, he opted to wash Cloud down with nothing but body wash and his own hands. Besides, if he couldn’t spoil the young omega the way he wanted, then he would do the next best thing.

A groan passed through Cloud’s lips as Genesis began slowly rubbing soap onto his back, starting at the nape of his neck and slowly moving downward. He didn’t bother to open his eyes, drifting in a hazy state of half-consciousness while Genesis took extra time to massage away each band of tension between his shoulder blades. Unfortunately, as the tenderness in his back faded away, the dull aching deep in his abdomen resurfaced, and he shifted uncomfortably on his feet.

The reprieve had been short, far from enough time to recuperate. Cloud tried to block out the pain. It wasn’t as bad as when Zack had found him writhing on the bed, so he attempted to focus on the hands that were kneading him with such care. They slid along his spine and fanned across his ribs. They drew lazy circles over his skin. They trailed low, following his tailbone until it ended, tracing past it to scrub away the evidence of the pair’s coupling. A harsh spasm knitted through Cloud’s pelvis at the intimate contact, and he gasped.

“Sore?” Genesis asked and lightened his touches though he didn’t stop his ministrations. “I’m sorry, Cloud. I’ll be as careful as I can, but I want to get all of this off of you.”

“N-no,” Cloud stuttered as fingertips brushed over his entrance again. Sore wasn’t the problem. A sudden vast emptiness was. He moaned quietly at the next swipe and rolled his hips without thought.

“Already?” Genesis chuckled as he pressed teasingly against the ring of muscle.

Cloud ducked his head, cheeks warming furiously in embarrassment. The need for sleep was losing a war with the need to be filled, a battle of basic desires that threw any semblance of logic out the window. His new body was betraying him with its desires. Arousal wasn’t supposed to be this _uncomfortable_. Often distracting and sometimes inconvenient, but not so intense that it bordered on _painful_. He whimpered as he felt himself stiffen between them, ashamed of his helpless want.

Sharp notes of distress filtered through the steam, itching at Genesis’s nose and grating at his instincts. There were so many words he wanted to say, so many things he needed the struggling omega to know and understand, but those words would fall on ears deafened by the haze of hormones. Instead, he summed it up as simply as he could.

“It’s okay, Cloud,” he assured, holding the small form close while he nuzzled and scented Cloud’s head and shoulders. “You can give in. I’ll keep you safe.”

Unable to process what exactly “giving in” entailed, Cloud squirmed and clutched at the man before him. Pathetic and needy weren’t descriptors that came to mind when he’d thought of SOLDIER, yet here he was, embodying both. His discomforts were intensifying by the second, the twisting low in his gut growing sharper and the hollowness becoming colder and more demanding. At least now he knew how they could be fixed.

“Gen…” Cloud managed to pant, frustrated once again by his thwarted attempts to string together a coherent thought. “I… _please_ …”

Whatever else he was tried to say was lost, replaced by a low and pleading keen that he hadn’t meant to issue. He tried to hitch a knee up towards Genesis’s hip, determined to demonstrate what he needed if his malfunctioning brain wouldn’t let him fucking verbalize it. Unfortunately, his incessant arousal hadn’t brought any added strength along, and his shaky limbs threatened to topple them both over.

Teasing fingers finally plunged into him, and Cloud ground back against them in search of more, deeper, harder. They didn’t fill him the way he needed to be filled, but they were warm and skilled and far better than pure emptiness. He moaned loudly and tossed his head when they curled and tugged at his rim, impatient for the more satisfying stretch that he’d been given before. 

“Cloud,” Genesis whispered, nuzzling against the omega’s ear as he withdrew his hand to rinse it clean. “Let me wash your front, and then we can go to the bedroom. With it being so soon, I’m sure we’ll be knotted together for a while, and you barely have the strength to stand.”

Cloud whined, the noise pitiful as it echoed against the tile, but allowed himself to be maneuvered until he was turned away, his back resting against Genesis’s front.

“There you go,” Genesis quietly encouraged as he soaped up Cloud’s torso.

No nook was left untouched, no cranny unwashed, even when Cloud jolted at the way hands rubbed over the ticklish ribs beneath his arms. The discomforts were still there, but he trusted that Genesis would attend to them soon. Not soon _enough_ , but soon nonetheless.

“Hah! Ow!” Cloud exclaimed when deft hands made their way lower and began cleaning between his legs with as much fervor as they had cleaned anywhere else. He tried to move his hips away, but was trapped against the larger body behind him.

“Shhh, shh,” Genesis shushed at him. “I know you’re sensitive, sweetheart, but we need to get everything off of you. I’m trying to be quick.”

Cloud bit his lip and shuddered through it, though he couldn’t stop himself from wincing and flinching. It was no better than when he had tried to touch himself before, painfully overstimulating despite his fierce arousal. Luckily, Genesis was true to his word, thorough but quick before moving on to less uncomfortable places.

By the time he was clean to Genesis’s standards, Cloud was borderline feral. Being so out of control was terrifying, as though his body and mind had dissociated from one another. He keened, voice low and pleading, while he bared his throat and arched his spine. Anything to halt the twisting in his belly and fill the void within. Anything to bring him out of this fog and back to his godsbedamned senses.

He didn’t care about being toweled dry, despite the way the terrycloth scratched harshly at his skin. He didn’t care about the way his body shivered in the cold every time a breath of air drew between him and the alpha who insisted on blotting every last droplet of water off his body. He didn’t even care about the way his legs buckled so badly that Genesis finally swept him off his feet and carried him back to the bedroom, mumbling something about “have to get more calories in you.”

Cloud tried to cling to the warmth Genesis emanated as the First placed him gently onto the mattress, but he couldn’t keep the comforting embrace from pulling away any more than he could keep another forlorn whine from slipping past his lips. He curled tightly in on himself, unsure how long it would take for the misery to pass without an alpha inside of him, but convinced that his pitiful display had driven Genesis away. Hot moisture quickly built beneath his eyelids, threatening to spill and further humiliate him. He grabbed blindly for the scented blanket he could smell nearby in hopes that it would at least keep the worst of the chill away.

“Cloud,” Genesis soothed. “I was just getting a few things together for when we’re…”

His voice faded out as a tear tracked down Cloud’s face. Quickly, Genesis dropped the pillows he was holding onto the bed and slipped in beside the smaller form to cradle him close.

“Oh, precious,” he said, brushing away the moisture and pulling the blanket over Cloud’s naked body. “I know you’ve had no time to adjust to either the mako or the hormones, and I’m sure it’s all terribly overwhelming. I promise, I’m not going anywhere until this has passed, alright?”

Cloud nodded, quieted by the touch more than the words. He wanted to apologize for his weakness, to express gratitude for all Genesis had done, but that wasn’t what he managed.

“Hurts… _please_ …” he whimpered, spreading his thighs shamefully.

“I know, Cloud. I know,” Genesis soothed as he petted firmly over one of the scent glands in the omega’s groin, careful to avoid his throbbing cock.

Warm sparks of pleasure prickled through Cloud with each languid caress. It wasn’t enough to bring him the relief he needed, but it at least offered a distraction. He nuzzled against Genesis’s neck, breathing in the spicy and smoky aroma mixed with… vanilla and snowfall? Curious, he sniffed more deliberately, finally noticing the purplish hue that tarnished otherwise creamy skin. Surprising even himself, he gave the fragrant spot a timid lick, as though his tongue would give him more information than his nose already had.

Genesis gasped at the unexpected gesture and gently redirected Cloud’s inquisitive nose to a different area.

“That’s Seph’s mark,” he explained, a slight tremor to his voice. “It might be gone before your heat is over, but better to be safe. He can get a little possessive, especially after he’s been away.”

The sound Cloud issued was undeniably one of disappointment, but Genesis was quick to draw his attention elsewhere, gathering any traces of slick that had collected between the omega’s legs and coating his own length in the potent aphrodisiac.

“Cloud, are you sure you’re alright facing me like this?” Genesis asked, stroking himself to full hardness. “I know it’s a bit more intimate than before.”

Cloud didn’t hesitate at all in his answer. Speech may have been difficult, but there were easier ways to communicate. Purring loudly, Cloud shoved the blanket aside, pulled Genesis close, and burrowed his face into the smell of spiced cider. It earned a huff of amusement and a peck to his forehead. Temptingly, he drew his knees closer to his chest, a clear ask to be sated.

Relief swept through him when Genesis finally pushed inside, the horrible emptiness falling away beneath the satisfying stretch of fullness. He moaned his appreciation and tossed a shaky leg around the other’s hip to draw him deeper. The rhythm Genesis chose was slow and sweet, a cadence of caring that let Cloud focus on the delectable drag of flesh against his inner walls. 

Noises were pulled from his chest that he neither expected nor recognized. Moans mixed with mewls, cries combined with keens. If he didn’t think about it too hard, he supposed he could understand them. Genesis certainly seemed to, adjusting his intensity and tempo in response, like a musician following a conductor until Cloud was arching his back and rocking his hips to the steady beat of their coupling.

Limbs still weak, Cloud clutched onto whatever he could reach, fisting a hand into the sheets or around Genesis’s wrist. Through heavy lids, he watched as the alpha’s thrusts began to break stride and stutter. The sounds of hitched breath and racing heart brought him the promise of what his body craved. He canted his hips higher so that he was flush with Genesis, engorged cock buried thoroughly inside of him. Mouth wide and face contorted with ecstasy, Cloud cried out his pleasure over the expanding thickness within.

“ _Yes_ , Cloud,” Genesis growled, voice raspy with lust. He brought Cloud’s hand between them, resting it against the omega’s cock, flushed with arousal. “Show me how good it feels.”

For a moment, Cloud tucked his head to the side shyly, bashful under the cerulean gaze and bold command, but Genesis guided him unhurriedly through long strokes until the timidity passed. It wasn’t long before beads of pearlescent precome were drawn forth, reminders that the call of climax refused to be ignored. Panting and gasping, Cloud worked himself closer to the edge, lost on a sea of bliss while anchored only by his alpha’s knot.

“That’s it. Come for me, Cloud, my beautiful omega.”

With those words, Genesis ground their hips together, the subtle shift within causing Cloud’s features to knit together and his breath to catch in his throat. Pure sensation crashed through him, hot and electric, cool and soothing. His cock twitched hard in his hand, spilling white release over his fist and stomach. The aching low in his belly finally ceased, washed away by waves of pleasure like etchings in the sand during a rising tide. He was left breathless and boneless, high on endorphins and devoid of energy.

Yet, as the fog that he’d been trapped in started to dissipate, his mind noticed a clear problem. A heavy one that was still inside of him, filling his body in a way that his mind wasn’t yet used to. To finish together had been easy, but now, the pressure was inescapable. It sparked a sense of uncomfortable urgency. He thought to pull away, but Genesis’s swelling was too large and tugged painfully against his rim. Anxious, Cloud started to writhe, unsure of what to do given his restricted movement options.

Genesis shook himself from a heated daze at the sound of confused whimpering. The smells of sex and satisfaction were tinged with fear, bringing him quickly to his senses.

“Cloud, precious, stop,” he coaxed as he buried himself as deep as he could. “This is what I meant when I said we’d be knotted for a while. Here, hold on to me.”

Cloud clutched tight, the pressure relieved somewhat with the alpha pushing farther in. Smoothly, Genesis flipped them both so that Cloud was straddling his hips and scooted them up towards the top of the bed to recline against the headboard and pillows. He pulled Cloud to his chest, rubbing lazy circles into the omega’s back.

“Better?”

Sinking heavily against Genesis, Cloud nodded. Gravity seemed to work in his favor this way, allowing him to ease past the worst of the urgent fullness to a point where he could relax. His mind continued to clear until, thankfully, language was within reach.

“Genesis? Don’t you need to… uh…”

Genesis chuckled and pressed a kiss into the mess of blonde hair. “If you stop fighting your new instincts so hard, your body will take care of it. Why don’t you eat and drink a little bit before you fall asleep?”

“I can’t fall asleep while you’re… you know. _In_ me,” Cloud asserted, blushing furiously at his predicament.

“You would _hardly_ be the first omega to fall asleep while knotted,” Genesis replied, reaching for the containers he had placed on the nightstand. “Ask Zackary when he returns. Here. Eat.”

Cloud accepted a few of the sweetened peanut butter snacks and a bit of lemonade concoction before exhaustion won out and he slumped tiredly against his superior’s chest. It was then that an internal spasm, which had hoped were over, snuck through him. He braced for the painful twisting in his abdomen, but was surprised when nothing more than a warm tingle crept up his spine. Genesis, on the other hand moaned quietly, eyes drifting shut and hips rolling with pleasure.

“Wait, is that how you… or I…” Cloud gave up, not knowing whether he was truly at a loss for words or just too tired to think straight.

Genesis nodded and tucked Cloud’s head under his chin. “Mmhmm. Now relax,” he directed, draping the same blanket he had brought over them both and pulling it up around Cloud’s shoulders. “We can talk about everything once you’re rested.”

The quiet thump of Genesis’s heart and the rhythmic rise and fall of his chest lulled Cloud into a deep and peaceful sleep. Genesis continued to trace thoughtless patterns on the recovering omega’s back, stopping every few minutes to revel in the forceful contractions around his cock. Selfishly, he rubbed his scent against Cloud’s hair, even though it was unlikely to stick after the heat was over. They would have to shower again anyway as the stickiness of Cloud’s release was drying between them.

When he finally came it was slow and sensual, like warm honey dripping over his skin rather than a fast and explosive affair. He rocked gently into Cloud’s convulsing warmth, securely embracing the omega who squirmed so sweetly even while asleep. Genesis bit his lip and tried to keep his voice quiet as he groaned until he was spent.

Once Genesis softened enough, he slipped free. In response, Cloud whined longingly and threatened to rouse from his slumber. Resigning himself to washing the blanket as well as their bodies after some sleep, Genesis pressed the fabric firmly against Cloud’s hole to prevent any mess from dripping down his thighs. His touch had the intended effect, and the omega settled back into restfulness where he began to alternate between snoring and purring.

Looking down at the gorgeous young man he held, Genesis was struck with guilt. Not over what he was doing. No, this was natural and consensual, or as natural as life could be after artificial enhancements. This guilt ran deeper, the guilt of a long overdue apology. For, until now, he had never understood the relationship between Angeal and Zack. And now that he did, he was brought close to tears by the thought of the venom with which he’d attacked them both.

When Cloud’s heat was over, there would be a lot to talk about.


End file.
